Challenges in the control of Cervical Cancer in Mozambique

Data da prova: 28 fevereiro
Horário: 10h00
Local: Online
Presidente do Júri: Carla Maria Moura Lopes – Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto
Arguentes: Jahit Sacaral – Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Moçambique / Helena Isabel Morim Carreira – London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Reino Unido

No próximo dia 28 de fevereiro de 2025, às 10h00, o estudante do Programa Doutoral em Saúde Pública, Satish Tulsidás, defenderá a sua tese de doutoramento, intitulada “Challenges in the control of Cervical Cancer in Mozambique”, orientada por Carla Carrilho e coorientada pelo investigador do ISPUP, Nuno Lunet. O evento decorrerá online e poderá ser acompanhado através do respetivo link de transmissão.

Summary

Cervical cancer is the 4th most frequent cancer among women in the world globally and is among the leading causes of cancer death in women in less developed regions. The principal risk factor is the infection by Human Papillomavirus (HPV) which is becoming more prevalent and persistent in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infected women and men.

In last year’s there has been a considerable reduction of cases in developed countries, due to the implementation of programs for prevention, screening, and early treatment of the disease and resources to treat patients with locally advanced disease. However, these prevention and control strategies are seldom available in developing countries.

The incidence and mortality rates in Mozambique are among the highest, reflecting the high prevalence of HPV and HIV infections. As developing country, the resources available to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer are relatively scarce, which contributes for limited capacity to create and implement a robust and organized screening strategies, delays in diagnosis, late stage of the disease presentation at diagnosis. These features, together with low qualified human resources and limited infrastructures (physic and in equipment) for treatment contribute to sub-optimal management of the patients and low survival rates. Efforts have been implemented to create cervical cancer prevention, screening and treatment programs and professional training programs to improve the quality of care for cancer patients, however data about cervical cancer screening program implementation and uptake as well as clinical characteristics, management and survival of patients with cervical cancer Mozambique is scarce.

In this context, with this thesis we aimed to characterize the capacity, access and use of different strategies for prevention and control of cervical cancer in Mozambique, as well as to describe the cancer profile, the clinical characteristics, available treatment and its impact on survival of patients with cervical cancer at Maputo Central Hospital (MCH).