Ketevi AA¹*, Logbo-Akey E², Katende B¹, Andele KA¹, Adou Rahim A¹, Didonou AE¹, Abdoul Samadou Aboubakari² and Koffi Akpadza¹

¹Department of Gynecology - Obstetrics, FSS, University of Lome, Togo
²Department of Gynecology - Obstetrics, FSS, University of Kara, Togo

*Corresponding Author: Ketevi AA, Department of Gynecology - Obstetrics, FSS, University of Lome, Togo.

Received: July 24, 2023; Published: July 31, 2023

Abstract

Introduction: Cervical cancer (CC) is a malignant tumor developed from the lining of the cervix. Prolonged human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the main cause. The objective is to determine the knowledge, attitudes and practices of women of childbearing age on the CC and to sensitize women on the screening of precancerous lesions of the cervix in Togo.

Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study that took place from 1st to 31st July 2022, among women of childbearing age, patronizing Djifa-Kpota market.

Results: The average age of respondents was 28.1 years old, more or less1 year with the extremes of 15 and 49 years. In 33.4% of the cases the respondents were resellers. In 68% of the cases, the respondents were unaware of the existence of the CC. Women who were aware of the existence of the CC recognized its severity in 96% of cases. In 4% of the cases, they identified sexual intercourse as the disease transmission route. No woman had performed the oncogenic HPV vaccine. They cited ignorance in 53.7% of cases, fear of cancer in 34.7% of cases, and the cost of the act in 11.6% of cases as reasons for not screening or vaccinating. They added in 76% of cases that they would go to the hospital when faced with warning signs of CC. In 45% of cases, they would use herbal teas, and in 9% of cases, they would not not tell anyone because it is a disease of shame.

Conclusion: Most women are still unaware of the existence of the CC. Awareness programmes should be more frequent and focused on the existence of this disease, its means of prevention and the organization of screening campaigns.

 Keywords: Cervical Cancer; Screening; Togo

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Citation

Citation: Ketevi AA., et al. “Prevention of Cervical Cancer: Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Women of Childbearing Age of Djifa-Kpota Market in Lome (Togo)" Acta Scientific Cancer Biology 7.6 (2023): 28-32.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2023 Ketevi AA., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.