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In Uganda, the incidence rate of cervical cancer is one of the highest in the world with a yearly rate of 54.8 cases per 100,000 women; in comparison, North America has a cervical cancer incidence rate of 6.6 cases for every 100,000 women (Black et al., 2019, p. 1). Majority of women do not receive a diagnosis or biomedical treatment due to Uganda's poor health infrastructure, distance to health facilities, cost of care, and patients’ sociocultural beliefs, resulting in approximately 4,301 deaths per year (Anderson, 2017; Mwaka et al., 2014; Nakasige et al., 2017; UNICEF, 2015; WHO, 2014). Due to the ubiquity and severity of cervical cancer in Uganda, there has been a strong push by doctors and advocates to make radiotherapy (RT), the main treatment of advanced-stage cervical cancer, more accessible to the public (Downing et al., 2019; WHO, 2014; Uganda Cancer Institute). While the efforts to improve Uganda’s health infrastructure is laudable, more focus must be placed on the feasibility of these advanced cervical cancer treatments in a low-income country. I argue that traditional RT for cervical cancer treatment is not viable in Uganda due to the country’s sociocultural values and lack of fertility preservation options. I will present potential fertility sparing cervical cancer treatments, including cervical colonization, cryosurgery, and radical trachelectomy (LMICs) and assess their feasibility in Uganda.


To view the full poster, click on the pdf icon below.

Cervical Cancer in Uganda: A call for culturally competent prevention

Shayna Orensztein

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