A Review: Genetic Mutations as a Key to Unlocking Drug Resistance in Cervical Cancer.

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women. Advanced stage and metastatic disease are often associated with poor clinical outcomes. This substantiates the absolute necessity for high-throughput diagnostic and treatment platforms that are patient and tumour specific.

The performance of single and combination test strategies using visual inspection, cytology, high-risk HPV DNA and HPV16/18 to screen South African women with and without HIV-infection.

Background: Cervical cancer screening strategies should ideally be informed by population-specific data. Strategies recommended for secondary prevention, are often inadequately studied in populations with high cervical disease burdens. This report describes the test performance measured against CIN2 + /CIN3 + histology in HIV-positive women (HPW) and HIV-negative women (HNW) with the aim to determine the most effective strategies to identify South African women at risk.

Sociodemographics, behaviour and knowledge of first South African HPV-vaccine recipients.

Background: Infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV) is a necessary cause of cervical cancer and is one of the most prevalent sexually transmitted infections worldwide. Primary prevention strategies target reducing HPV acquisition through vaccination, limiting exposure (e.g.

Utility of Extended HPV Genotyping as Primary Cervical Screen in an Unscreened Population With High HIV Co-Infection Rate.

Objective: Screening with primary human papillomavirus (HPV) testing has been evaluated in highly prescreened populations with lower HPV and HIV prevalence than what is the case in South Africa. High prevalence of HPV and underlying precancer in women living with HIV (WLWH) affect the clinical performance of screening tests significantly. This study investigates the utility and performance of an extended genotyping HPV test in detection of precancer in a population with a high coinfection rate with HIV.

Validation of ASCL1 and LHX8 Methylation Analysis as Primary Cervical Cancer Screening Strategy in South African Women with Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

Background: Compared with women who are human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) negative, women with human immunodeficiency virus (WWH) have a higher human papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence and increased cervical cancer risk, emphasizing the need for effective cervical cancer screening in this population. The present study aimed to validate methylation markers ASCL1 and LHX8 for primary screening in a South African cohort of WWH.

Methods: In this post hoc analysis within the DIAgnosis in Vaccine And Cervical Cancer Screen (DiaVACCS) study, a South African observational multicenter cohort study, cervical scrape samples from 411 HIV-positive women were analyzed for hypermethylation of ASCL1 and LHX8 genes, HPV DNA, and cytology.

Combining cervical cancer screening for mothers with schoolgirl vaccination during human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine implementation in South Africa: results from the VACCS1 and VACCS2 trials.

Objective: The platform provided by human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination for linked public health interventions to improve cervical cancer prevention remains incompletely explored. The Vaccine And Cervical Cancer Screen (VACCS) cross-sectional observation trials aimed to evaluate the efficacy of school-based HPV vaccination linked with maternal cervical cancer screening.

Methods: Girls from 29 schools in two provinces in South Africa were invited in writing to receive HPV vaccination.

Exploring the feasibility of using mobile phones to improve the management of clients with cervical cancer precursor lesions.

Background: Cancer screening programs hold much potential for reducing the cervical cancer disease burden in developing countries. The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility of mobile health (mHealth) phone technology to improve management and follow-up of clients with cervical cancer precursor lesions.

Methods: A sequential mixed methods design was employed for this study.

Five-year overall survival following chemoradiation among HIV-positive and HIV-negative patients with locally advanced cervical carcinoma in a South African cohort.

Objectives: In South Africa, where HIV prevalence among adults is 18.9%, cervical carcinoma is the second most common malignancy in women. However, oncology services are considerably more accessible in South Africa than in many neighbouring countries.

Women's experiences with cervical cancer screening in a colposcopy referral clinic in Cape Town, South Africa: a qualitative analysis.

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore and understand women's experience with cervical cancer screening and with the referral pathways for abnormal Papanicolau (Pap) smears.

Design And Setting: Focus group discussions were conducted with first time colposcopy clinic attendees at a tertiary hospital colposcopy clinic in Cape Town, South Africa during November 2014. A thematic analysis was conducted to identify key themes.

School-based human papillomavirus vaccination: An opportunity to increase knowledge about cervical cancer and improve uptake of screening.

Background: Poor knowledge about cervical cancer plays a role in limiting screening uptake. HPV vaccination provides an untested platform to distribute information that could possibly improve knowledge and screening coverage.

Objective: To measure changes in knowledge and screening uptake when information and screening opportunities were provided to mothers of adolescent HPV vaccine recipients.

The Vaccine and Cervical Cancer Screen (VACCS) project: Linking cervical cancer screening to HPV vaccination in the South-West District of Tshwane, Gauteng, South Africa.

Background: Cervical cancer is preventable, but still highly prevalent in South Africa (SA). Screening strategies in the country have been ineffective, and new ways to prevent the disease are needed.

Objectives: To investigate the feasibility of linking cervical cancer screening in adult women to human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in schoolgirls.

Progression and persistence of low-grade cervical squamous intraepithelial lesions in women living with human immunodeficiency virus.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the progression and persistence of low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (SILs) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected women.

Methods: Study participants for this retrospective cohort study were 1,720 women who had LSIL as their first abnormal Pap smear. A comparison of the survival of LSIL without progression to high-grade SIL as progression-free time and the survival of SIL without clearance of the lesion as persistence of SIL was done for women of HIV-positive, HIV-negative, or unknown status using the Kaplan-Meier method.