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Projected cervical cancer incidence in Swaziland using three methods and local survey estimates

Abstract:
Background The scarcity of country data (e.g. a cancer registry) for the burden of cervical cancer (CC) in low-income countries (LCIs) such as Swaziland remains a huge challenge. Such data are critical to inform local decision-making regarding resource allocation [1]. We aimed to estimate likely cervical cancer incidence in Swaziland using three different methodologies (triangulation), to help better inform local policy guidance regarding likely higher “true” burden and increased resource allocation required for treatment, cervical cancer screening and HPV vaccine implementation.
Methods Three methods were applied to estimate CC incidence, namely: 1) application of age-specific CC incidence rates for Southern African region from GLOBOCAN 2012 extrapolated to the 2014 Swaziland female population; 2) a linear regression based model with transformed age-standardised CC incidence against hr-HPV (with and without HIV as a covariate) prevalence among women with normal cervical cytology; and 3) a mathematical model, using a natural history approach based on parameter estimates from various available literature and local survey estimates. We then triangulated estimates and uncertainty from the three models to estimate the most likely CC incidence rate for Swaziland in 2015.
Results The projected incidence estimates for models 1–3 were 69.4 (95% CI: 66.7–72.1), 62.6 per 100,000 (95%CI: 53.7–71.8) and 44.6 per 100,000 (41.5 to 52.1) respectively. Model 2 with HIV prevalence as covariate estimated a higher CC incidence rate estimate of 101.1 per 100,000 (95%CI: 90.3–112.2). The triangulated (‘averaged’) age-standardized CC incidence based across the 3 models for 2015 was estimated at 69.4 per 100,000 (95% CI: 63.0–77.1) in Swaziland.
Conclusion It is widely accepted that cancer incidence (and in this case CC) is underestimated in settings with poor and lacking registry data. Our findings suggest that the projected burden of CC is higher than that suggested from other sources. Local health policy decisions and decision-makers need to re-assess resource allocation to prevent and treat CC effectively, which is likely to persist given the very high burden of hr-HPV within the country.
Publication status:
Published
Peer review status:
Peer reviewed

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Publisher copy:
10.1186/s12885-018-4540-1

Authors


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Role:
Author
ORCID:
0000-0002-0993-8308
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Institution:
University of Oxford
Division:
MSD
Department:
NDM
Role:
Author
ORCID:
0000-0001-6761-2325


Publisher:
BioMed Central
Journal:
BMC Cancer More from this journal
Volume:
18
Issue:
1
Article number:
639
Publication date:
2018-06-07
Acceptance date:
2018-05-21
DOI:
EISSN:
1471-2407
Pmid:
29879943


Language:
English
Keywords:
Pubs id:
1160748
Local pid:
pubs:1160748
Deposit date:
2021-02-24

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