In Ethiopia, approximately 30% of women living with HIV (WLHIV) are also infected with human papilloma virus (HPV), the main cause of cervical cancer. WLHIV are at higher risk for HPV infection and are six times more likely than women in the general population to develop cervical cancer.

The National Institutes of Health has awarded Breanne Lott, M.P.H., Ph.D., and colleagues a five-year, $2.8 million grant to implement and assess a project in Ethiopia intended to improve cervical cancer screening among WLHIV. The project will integrate primary HPV testing with HIV care at five public hospitals in three Ethiopian cities. During routine HIV care appointments, women will take their own vaginal samples using self-collection kits, which will then be tested for HPV at a regional laboratory. Using a peer-learning model known as Project ECHO, Dr. Lott and colleagues will assess how successfully the hospitals adhere to “screen-triage-and treat” guidelines (i.e., screen women for HPV infection, link candidates with follow-up testing to detect precancerous cervical lesions, and provide necessary treatment); low-performing sites will receive assistance for increasing the proportion of screen-positive women who are appropriately triaged and treated. The findings will inform the scale-up of HPV-based cancer screening for improved cancer control in WLHIV in low- and middle-income countries.

Dr. Lott is assistant professor of epidemiology & population health at Einstein and is a member of the National Cancer Institute-designated Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center. (1U01CA294799-01)