Influence of HIV/AIDS on Cervical Cancer: A Retrospective Study From Tanzania

Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality in women in Tanzania. Any impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic on cervical precancerous lesions and invasive cervical cancer has a significant implication, as for any public health concern, especially in an area such as the Morogoro region in Tanzania, which has one of the highest rates of cervical cancer in the world.

A comparative retrospective study was performed of 536 women screened for cervical cancer by visual inspection methods at the Morogoro Regional Referral Hospital over a period of 3 years; the women were grouped according to their HIV status. The odds ratios (OR) with 95% CIs were estimated using χ² test and multivariate analysis. The test statistics were evaluated with a significance level of P < .05.

The prevalence of precancerous lesions was 71.8% in HIV-positive women and 27.3% in HIV-seronegative women. Furthermore, the prevalence of extensive or large precancerous lesions was 40.5% in HIV-positive women and 13.5% in HIV-seronegative women. The prevalence of invasive cervical cancer was 8% in HIV-seronegative women and 11% in HIV-positive women. The risk factors for the cervical lesions were HIV-positive status (OR, 6.8; 95% CI, 4.2 to 11.2; P < .001) and being older than 30 years of age (OR, 11.99; 95% CI, 6.86 to 21.21; P < .001).

HIV/AIDS has a highly statistically significant association with (P < .001) and a great influence on the development of cervical precancerous lesions in HIV-positive women; however, its direct involvement in the progression to invasive cervical cancer, especially in this era of highly active antiretroviral therapy, is questionable.