Is Low Uptake of Screening Contributing to Increasing Incidence of Early Onset Advanced Cancer of the Cervix in HIV Negative Young Women in Western Kenya? – A Case Study of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital

Background: In many Low and middle income countries, most patients present with advanced cases of cervical cancer (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) Stages III and IV). The factors contributing to this have been studied and reported as being due to health seeking behaviours, lack of screening services and late diagnosis among others.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the increase in incidences of early onset advanced cervical cancer in young HIV Negative women presenting at the Oncology Clinic of the hospital.

Methodology: A mixed method study was undertaken of purposively recruited HIV^-ve patients, aged 13-35 years, presenting with Cancer of the Cervix in the 2020-2021 period of study.

Findings: The study found out that, in the period 2020-2021, the voluntary routine screening programme had 31.8% HIV^-ve patients of ages 13-35 years screened, while 68.2% had not been screened routinely prior to the diagnosis of cancer of the cervix, and most patients presented to the hospital with early onset advanced cancer of the cervix, and 39 (64%) were diagnosed at FIGO Stages III and IV, while just 22 (36%) were diagnosed at Stages I and II.

Conclusion: Our conclusion is that there is a very low uptake of screening of cancer of the cervix, even though it is being offered for free at most public health institutions and some private hospitals in Western Kenya.