Skip to main content.

Cervical Cancer Prevention

Cervical cancer is a leading cause of death in Kenya and Sub-Saharan Africa, and the burden is increasing with rising population size and life expectancy. Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia screening coupled with prompt treatment can be a cost-effective approach to early cancer prevention.

Kenya's Cervical Cancer Prevention Strategic Plan (CECAP) aspires to provide screening at all levels of the healthcare system and treatment as soon as possible. However, best estimates are that well below 10% of Kenyan women have received effective screening. Many of the same factors that are barriers to HIV+ women's sustained engagement in PMTCT services also impede women's access to cervical cancer services. A few of these include: providers' high workload and often inadequate training or awareness, weak systems linking records and tracking treatment referral, social stigma, and patients' difficulties with cost and logistics of travel for care.

Our team aims to develop and pilot a Cancer Tracking System (CATSystem), based on the basic principles of the HITSystem for HIV, that would facilitate well-coordinated cervical cancer screening and treatment supporting Kenyan national prevention guidelines. Drs. Mabachi and Finocchario-Kessler have been awarded a pilot grant by the KU Cancer Center to fund CATSystem development by a Kenyan programmer recruited to work side-by-side with our team in Kansas City.

Feasibility will be tested through a 6-month feasibility pilot study in Kenya.

Cervical machine

Thermocoagulator, portal device used for treating precancerous cervical cancer lesions.

KU School of Medicine

University of Kansas Medical Center
Family Medicine & Community Health
3901 Rainbow Boulevard
Mailstop 4010
Kansas City, KS 66160