Abstract
Aim: Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women in Nigeria; fortunately it is preventable through regular screening and management of intraepithelial lesions. This study aims to determine the prevalence of squamous intraepithelial lesions (SIL) of the cervix among women of reproductive age. Methods: All sexually active women between the ages of 16 – 45 years were screened consecutively for cervical cancer in the Gynecology Clinic of the Specialist Hospital Jalingo using the conventional Pap smear and reported using The Bethesda System. Results: A total of 416 sexually active women were screened. Majority in the 41 – 45 years age group and most of the participants (78.8%) were married. About 83.9% of respondents were negative for SILs; 11.1% had low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL); 4.6% had high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL); while atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC – US) constitute 0.48%. About 18.9% of participants with negative report had inflammatory smears. Conclusion: The prevalence of squamous intraepithelial lesions is high and there is the need for intervention in terms of health education, vaccination, mass screening and management of abnormal smears. Keywords: Squamous intraepithelial lesion, Prevalence, Cervix.
Highlights
Cancer of the cervix is the 3rd most common cancer in women worldwide
A fortunate aspect of the problem is the fact that cancer of the cervix is largely a preventable disease and this prevention relies on the detection and treatment of Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion (SIL), a premalignant disease stage
squamous intraepithelial lesions (SIL) refers to a precancerous lesion of the cervix that is associated with infection of the epithelial cells of the cervix by high oncogenic risk subtypes of Human papilloma virus (HPV), especially subtypes 16 and 18
Summary
Cancer of the cervix is the 3rd most common cancer in women worldwide. An estimated 530,000 women across the world were diagnosed with cervical cancer worldwide in the year 2008. The developing countries carry the biggest burden of cervical cancer, with more than eight out of ten (86%) cases being diagnosed in 2008 (Ferley et al, 2008) It is the most common female genital cancer constituting a major cause of mortality among Nigerian females in their most productive years (Mohammed et al, 2006). Cervical cancer mortality rate for the country (22.9 deaths per 100,000 women) ranks 10th among countries in the world (Boyle and Levin, 2008) These dismal indices have resulted in renewed calls for concerted efforts aimed at addressing this problem. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of squamous intraepithelial lesions (SIL) of the cervix among women of reproductive age in Jalingo, Nigeria
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