Development of a screening algorithm for the cervical cancer prevention programme in Botswana

Abstract

In this thesis, Development of a screening algorithm for the cervical cancer prevention programme in Botswana, the candidate utilised a new human papillomavirus (HPV) deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) assay called Antila AmpFire to test for high-risk HPV in a semi-urban area in Botswana. This prospective cohort study evaluated several triage methods for high-risk HPV screen-positive women. The methods were visual inspection after acetic acid, colposcopy, and various partial HPV genotypes. Performance of the various triage methods were calculated and compared to that of the primary hrHPV screening. Restricted 8-hrPHV (16,18,31,33,35,45,52,58) maintained the highest sensitivity of all the triage methods. Although our finding supported the 8-hrHPV triage method as the most effective strategy, additional research is needed to guide further management as the relatively poor specificity of this method would still lead to overtreatment of women with no established precancer disease.