A recent study highlights how fear and stigma significantly impact women's decisions to undergo cervical cancer screening and follow through with treatment. Many women fear receiving a negative diagnosis, especially if they perceive cancer as fatal or a financial burden. The anticipation of community stigma also plays a role in their reluctance.
Recent studies highlight the vital need to shift information dissemination on Cervical Cancer and screenings to a multi-pronged approach for women in rural settings.
Integration of cervical cancer screening in family planning clinics has allowed for more reproductive-aged women to be screened according to scholars.
The study conducted in the coastal Mombasa, Kenya revealed that the presence of screening facilities in family planning clinics has enabled the health workers to reach many women aged 15 to 49 years.
Cervical cancer is a preventable disease. Despite this, the annual incidence globally is projected to increase from 570,000 cases currently to 700,000 by 2030, and most of these will be among young under-educated women in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) (1, 2). The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine offers the potential to eliminate cervical cancer if routinely available and used based on recent studies (3). This is especially important in LMICs where the cost of cancer care can be prohibitive including biological medicines (4).
