Abstract 55: Cervical Cancer Prevention in sub-Saharan Africa: A Policy Analysis

Abstract

Abstract Purpose: We analyzed the presence and comprehensiveness of cervical cancer control policies in sub-Saharan Africa, where cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for women. Methods: Publicly-available policies for primary, secondary, and tertiary cervical cancer prevention were collected, and scored for comprehensiveness based on elements included (e.g. vaccination schedule and target age, screening age interval and strategy, precancerous lesion removal method, cancer treatment approach, and presence of palliative care) (summed score, possible range 0- 12). We compared the median number of policy points for countries based on policy environment (availability of other non-communicable disease policy), health financing (external and domestic health expenditures), economic status (poverty prevalence and income inequality), health outcomes (life expectancy, HIV prevalence, cervical cancer mortality), and sub-region. Results: Policies from 47 countries in sub-Saharan Africa were analyzed. Policies were generally most comprehensive for secondary and primary prevention; only 19 countries had any tertiary prevention policy. It was more common for policies to include information about target age (for primary and secondary prevention), vaccine schedule, and screening method, and less common to include information about awareness-raising or accompanying behavior change approaches. Countries with greater external financing for health had more comprehensive cervical cancer policies, as did countries with higher HIV prevalence. Conclusion: Cervical cancer control policies in Africa are highly variable in comprehensiveness. External factors, like the role of global donors, and internal factors, like local disease burden, may influence relative priority of cervical cancer prevention and therefore affect policy comprehensiveness. Future research should use mixed methods to explore reasons for this variation and identify areas for policy strengthening. Citation Format: Rifa Akanda, Corrina Moucheraud. Cervical Cancer Prevention in sub-Saharan Africa: A Policy Analysis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 9th Annual Symposium on Global Cancer Research; Global Cancer Research and Control: Looking Back and Charting a Path Forward; 2021 Mar 10-11. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2021;30(7 Suppl):Abstract nr 55.