Detection of Cervical Precancer Using Visual Inspection Method with Acetic Acid

  • Gehanath Baral Gynecological Oncology Society of Nepal (GOSON)
  • Lila Oli Tumamcare Foundation
  • Sheela Verma Gynecological Oncology Society of Nepal (GOSON)
  • Snigdha Rai Gynecological Oncology Society of Nepal (GOSON)
  • Parshuram Aryal Tumamcare Foundation
  • Suman Tiwari Tumamcare Foundation

Abstract

Background: Cervical cancer screening is the priority activity of the government. Visual inspection with Acetic acid (VIA), Pap smear Liquid-based cytology, and HPV DNA testing are different methods of screening. VIA-based screening is the cost-effective method of screening in a resource-constrained setting like in our country as this doesnt require cyto-histological testing, can be performed by trained paramedics too, and is as accurate as a cytological test.
The aim is to explore pre-cancer cervical lesions by screening women in the community by visual inspection using acetic-acid.
Methods: Community-based cross-sectional study done at a health camp setting for three months from March to June 2023. The married non-pregnant women of 30-60 years were screened. Descriptive tests as well as sub-group analysis performed by Chi-Square tests.
Results: From ten community health camps, 1255 cases were screened and screen positivity was 14.3%. Positive results were proportionately distributed to all parity by 13-19%. Half of the positive results (47.2%) were in the 34-40 age group. There were no significant differences in screen positivity by parity or vaginal discharge. Menopausal women had 7.7% screen positivity.
Conclusions: The prevalence of VIA positivity in the community was found double the previous facility-based prevalence; and there was no significant difference by parity, menopausal status, and vaginal discharge. The positivity was more in 30-45 years of age.
Keywords: Cervical pre-cancer; screening; VIA.

Published
2024-06-21
How to Cite
Baral, G., Oli, L., Verma, S., Rai, S., Aryal, P., & Tiwari, S. (2024). Detection of Cervical Precancer Using Visual Inspection Method with Acetic Acid. Journal of Nepal Health Research Council, 22(01), 45-49. https://doi.org/10.33314/jnhrc.v22i01.5024