Risk Factors for Cervical Cancer in Ghana.

Background: The major burden of cervical cancer occurs in low- and middle-income countries. In Ghana, it is the second most common cancer among women. Infection with high-risk human papilloma virus (HPV) has been established as the cause of cervical cancer.

Double cervical cerclage for cervical insufficiency: Case report.

Recurrent pregnancy loss devastates parents and frustrates doctors, especially when the pregnancy progresses to the second trimester. Cervical insufficiency is the most common cause of second-trimester pregnancy loss. Abdominal cerclage is the treatment option for women with failed vaginally applied cervical cerclage.

: Hospital experiences of Ghanaian families after maternal mortalities.

Background: Rates of maternal mortality are highest in low-resource settings. Family members are often involved in the critical periods surrounding a maternal death, including transportation to health centers and financial and emotional support during hospital admissions. Maternal death has devastating impacts on surviving family members, which are often overlooked and understudied.

Participant Evaluation of a Multi-disciplinary Oncology Preceptorship Training Program for Oncology Health Professionals from Kumasi, Ghana.

A critical shortage of skilled healthcare workers is a primary cause of disparate global cancer outcomes. We report participant evaluation of a multidisciplinary preceptorship program. In collaboration with the city of Kumasi, Ghana, Mayo Clinic and the City Cancer Challenge hosted a preceptorship program for comprehensive multidisciplinary breast and cervix cancer training.

Diversity of cervicovaginal human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes and naturally occurring E6/E7 DNA polymorphisms of HPV-16 in Ghana.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) E6 and E7 oncogene expression is essential for cervical carcinogenesis. Evidence exists that E6/E7 variants may have different transforming activities while the risk of HPV-16 variants (A/D) differs by race/ethnicity. We determined the type-specific diversity of HPV infection in women with high grade cervical disease or cervical cancer in Ghana and investigated naturally occurring E6/E7 DNA variants in this population.

Human papillomavirus genotype distribution among women with and without cervical cancer: Implication for vaccination and screening in Ghana.

Introduction: Determining the high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) genotypes burden in women with and without cervical cancer afford a direct comparison of their relative distributions. This quest is fundamental to implementing a future population-based cervical cancer prevention strategy in Ghana. We estimated the cervical cancer risk by HPV genotypes, and the HPV vaccine-preventable proportion of cervical cancer diagnosed in Ghana.

Barriers to adequate pain control among women with cervical cancer: exploring unmet pain control needs in Ghana.

Background: Pain because of cervical cancer is a significant health issue globally, especially in women with advanced disease. However, little is known about unmet needs for pain control in low-resource settings where the burden of cervical cancer is the greatest.

Objective: This study aimed to quantify the level of pain that women with cervical cancer in Ghana experience, explore attitudes toward pain and pain medications, and determine the barriers to adequate pain control.

Outcomes of gynecologic cancer surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic: an international, multicenter, prospective CovidSurg-Gynecologic Oncology Cancer study.

Background: The CovidSurg-Cancer Consortium aimed to explore the impact of COVID-19 in surgical patients and services for solid cancers at the start of the pandemic. The CovidSurg-Gynecologic Oncology Cancer subgroup was particularly concerned about the magnitude of adverse outcomes caused by the disrupted surgical gynecologic cancer care during the COVID-19 pandemic, which are currently unclear.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the changes in care and short-term outcomes of surgical patients with gynecologic cancers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Health-related quality of life among cervical cancer survivors at a tertiary hospital in Ghana.

Introduction: Cervical cancer is the second most common female cancer in Ghana. The disease and its treatment significantly affect survivors' health-related quality of life (HRQoL). We determined the overall quality of life (QoL) and identified its predictors among cervical cancer survivors after treatment.

Factors associated with late-stage presentation of cervical cancer in Ghana.

Objective: To explore factors associated with late clinical presentation among Ghanaian women with cervical cancer.

Design: This is a cross-sectional survey using a paper questionnaire.

Setting: Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi, Ghana.

Determinants of cervical cancer screening uptake among women with access to free screening: A community-based study in peri-urban Ghana.

Objective: Cervical cancer can be prevented by regular screening; however, screening rates are low in developing countries. We evaluated the proportion of women screened, modalities of screening utilized, and factors influencing uptake among Ghanaian women with access to free screening services.

Methods: Participants were women aged 25-65 in Asokore-Mampong, Ghana.

Assessment of Adult Women With Ovarian Masses and Treatment of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer: ASCO Resource-Stratified Guideline.

Purpose: To provide expert guidance to clinicians and policymakers in three resource-constrained settings on diagnosis and staging of adult women with ovarian masses and treatment of patients with epithelial ovarian (including fallopian tube and primary peritoneal) cancer.

Methods: A multidisciplinary, multinational ASCO Expert Panel reviewed existing guidelines, conducted a modified ADAPTE process, and conducted a formal consensus process with additional experts.

Results: Existing sets of guidelines from eight guideline developers were found and reviewed for resource-constrained settings; adapted recommendations from nine guidelines form the evidence base, informing two rounds of formal consensus; and all recommendations received ≥ 75% agreement.

Two rare presentations of embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma of the cervix in teenagers at a low-resource teaching hospital in Ghana: A case series.

We report two cases of embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma (ERMS) of the cervix in teenagers presenting to Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, Ghana within one month of each other. Between October and November 2019, two patients presented with ERMS of the cervix. They both underwent fertility-sparing surgery followed by chemotherapy with vincristine, actinomycin-D, and cyclophosphamide.

Emergency hysterectomy in a tertiary care hospital: indications, surgical outcomes and challenges: a 2-year retrospective descriptive cross-sectional study.

Introduction: emergency hysterectomy (EH) remains a life-saving procedure in cases of life-threatening obstetric hemorrhage and other gynaecological emergencies. We aim to determine the indications, surgical outcomes and challenges of EH in our tertiary centre.

Methods: an ethically approved retrospective descriptive cross-sectional study on all EHs performed at a tertiary hospital during the period of 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2019 was conducted.

Use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in the Management of Diagnostic Uncertainty in Low-Resource Settings: A Case Report of Cesarean Ectopic Pregnancy in a Tertiary Hospital in Ghana.

BACKGROUND Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) account for the overwhelming majority of maternal deaths worldwide. Cesarean section rates have increased globally over the last 10 years, including in LMICs, and are an important intervention to decrease neonatal and maternal mortality. However, cesarean sections also contribute to increased complications in subsequent pregnancies, including invasive placentation and cesarean scar ectopic pregnancies (CSEP).

Gynecologic Oncology Sub-Specialty Training in Ghana: A Model for Sustainable Impact on Gynecologic Cancer Care in Sub-Saharan Africa.

African women have double the risk of dying from cancer than women in high-income countries. In Ghana, most women with gynecological malignancies present with advanced-stage disease when treatment is less effective. Barriers to improved cancer outcomes include the availability of cancer screening, affordability of treatment, and access to gynecologic oncology specialists.

Preferences and perspectives on vaginal breech delivery in Ghana.

Objective: To evaluate obstetrician/gynecologist and midwife perspectives and experiences with vaginal breech deliveries in Ghana.

Methods: Respondents completed a survey on their experiences, training, comfort levels, and decision making about vaginal breech deliveries. Comparisons were made across obstetricians/gynecologists and midwives.

Familial adenomatous polyposis: a case study.

Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is an inherited syndrome characterized by several adenomatous polyps of the gastrointestinal (GI) mucosa. If treatment is not provided, an average individual with classic FAP will develop colorectal carcinoma around the age of 40 years. The incidence rate of FAP in developing countries like Ghana is unknown compared to advanced countries.

Acute Gastric Necrosis in a Teenager.

Gastric infarction is a rare condition often associated with high mortality due to a delay in diagnosis. The stomach which has a rich supply of blood is a rare site for such a condition. Gastric infarction has a long list of etiological factors.

Cancer incidence in Ghana, 2012: evidence from a population-based cancer registry.

Background: Data on cancers is a challenge in most developing countries. Population-based cancer registries are also not common in developing countries despite the usefulness of such registries in informing cancer prevention and control programmes. The availability of population-based data on cancers in Africa varies across different countries.

Attitude of women with abortion-related complications toward provision of safe abortion services in Ghana.

Objectives: To determine the attitude and perception of women with abortion-related complications toward the provision of safe abortion services, their sociodemographic characteristics, and their awareness of the law permitting abortion under certain circumstances in Ghana.

Methods: A cross-sectional study using a standardized questionnaire was conducted over a 2-month period among patients admitted with abortion-related complications at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Kumasi, Ghana.

Results: Abortion-related complications accounted for 42.