Nigerians and Kenyans know breast and cervical cancers exist, yet few get tested

Researchers report that many women in Nigeria and Kenya were aware of breast and cervical cancer, yet they didn’t get tested for it or vaccinated against it. This means that governments should find better ways to encourage screening and prevention.

Many women in African countries suffer with and die from breast and cervical cancer. However, doctors can manage these diseases better if it is detected early during screening and testing. 

Authorities should know how aware women are that screening and vaccination services are available so that they can improve women’s health.

In this study, researchers assessed the level of knowledge about breast and cervical cancer in Nigeria and Kenya. They also wanted to know if women visited hospitals to test for cancer, or if they were able to check their breast for any signs of cancer.  

They asked women aged 18-59 questions about cervical and breast cancer testing, whether they were vaccinated against cervical cancer, and if they could check themselves for signs of breast cancer. 

The researchers also asked the participants how they learnt about cancer, and their reasons for not testing for cancer.

They found that one-third of participants had adequate knowledge of testing for both breast and cervical cancer, as well as checking themselves for signs of breast cancer. 

Women aged 26 – 40, with tertiary education and who were married, had better knowledge. Also, women in Kenya had better knowledge than those in Nigeria. 

The researchers also reported that very few women tested for breast and cervical cancer or were vaccinated against cervical cancer. The women said it was because they did not know where to go for testing, or because they did not show any symptoms. 

Many women said that they were willing to go for testing. The researchers also reported that women who knew about breast cancer were more likely to check themselves for any signs of the cancer.

This was the first time a study was done in more than one African country to link women’s knowledge with their willingness to do cancer testing.

The researchers said most participants of the study had tertiary education, and this might have affected their results. They also said they used the internet to share their survey due to COVID-19, so participants would have had to have internet access.

Abstract

Background: The burden of breast and cervical cancer is increasing exponentially, especially among  women in  low-and  mid-income  countries due  to  late  diagnosis,  unhealthy  lifestyle choices  and adoption  of  western  lifestyles.Early  detection,hinged  on  screening  uptake is a key  to higher  survival  rate  and  managing cancer  outcome.Despite some improvement noticed in developed countries, the control of these preventable diseases in African countries including  Nigeria   and  Egypt seems insurmountable.Therefore,  this  study   focused  on assessing the  knowledge  and uptake of  Nigerians  and  Egyptians  towards breast  self-examination (BSE) and breast and cervical cancer screening.Results: A  community-based  cross-sectional  questionnaire  was  utilized  in  both  countries  to obtain 1,006  respondentsvia  a  convenient  sampling  method. The  mean  age  of  study participants  was  30.43  ±  6.69. About  one-third  of  participants  had  a  good  knowledge  (>  66 %)  of  breast  cancer  screening(423,  42  %),  cervical cancer  screening(446,  44  %)and BSE practice(363, 36 %).Age range (26 –40 years), educational level (tertiary)and marital status were  demographic  data that influenced knowledge  level.Though  with  a  fairly satisfactory knowledge  level,  the  screening  uptake  among  studied  population  is  very  poor  as  only  (111, 11  %)  had  ever  been  screened  and  only  (22,  2.2  %)  ever  vaccinated.The  major reasons  for poor screening uptake were“no awareness of where to be screened” and “no symptoms”.Conclusions: Assessing the  knowledge  and  uptake  level  of  African  women  through  studies like  this  is  crucial  in identifying the loopholes  in  the  fight  against  cancer  in  Africa.More efforts  are  required  in  promoting utilization  of  cancer  screening services,  HPV  vaccination and BSEpracticeamong African women.The media and internet should be leveraged on as they are the major sources of information about cancer among the respondents.

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