Perception on cervical cancer and enhancing strategies to screening uptake among women in Bamenda, Cameroon: A qualitative method

The treatment of cervical cancer has a good prognosis if diagnosed early. Hence, screening is very vital. The aim of this study was to evaluate the perception of women on cervical cancer and strategies to enhance its screening uptake in the city of Bamenda, Cameroon. Qualitative study was carried out from July, 2019 to August, 2019. Eight focus group discussions were organized in five different quarters in the city of Bamenda. These quarters and participants were purposively selected and each group constituted 6 to 8 Participants. Ethical clearance and administrative authorization for the study were obtained prior to the study. Data was analyzed using thematic analysis with the help of QDA Miner. A total of 53 study participants took part in this study. Their ages ranged between 21 to 45 years. Most participants did not know about cervical cancer. Their perceived barriers to cervical cancer screening included: inadequate sensitization; financial challenges and embarrassing testing strategies; lack of awareness on the availability of screening centers; poor attitude of health personnel. Proposed strategies to enhance cervical cancer screening were: sensitization of the population, recruitment of more competent staff, testing centers should be located closed to the target population, less embarrassing screening methods should be used, health care workers should demonstrate positive attitudes during care, female staff should manage the screening units, screening cost should be subsidized. Due to the Small purposive sample size and qualitative nature of this study, the findings are not generalizable

Laparoscopic Myomectomy in a Tertiary Care Centre in Douala, Cameroon.

Objective: To assess the feasibility and outcome of laparoscopic myomectomy with single or double-layer closure of myoma bed for management of myomas at a tertiary care centre in Douala, Cameroon. Materials and Methods: Thirty patients with large or moderate-size myomas were managed laparoscopically from September 1996 to September 2008. The indications for surgery included subfertility, heavy menstrual bleeding, abdominal mass and lower abdominal pain. Pre‑operative evaluation included history, clinical examination and sonographic mapping. Myomas were enucleated and retrieved laparoscopically by morcellation. Myoma beds were sutured in a single or double layer by endoscopic intra-corporeal suturing depending on the depth of the fibroids. Results: Among our patients, 14 (46.7%) presented with subfertility, 8 (26.7%) with heavy menstrual flow and 6 (20%) with abdominal mass. Two (6.7%) presented with lower abdominal pain. The average maximum diameter of myoma was about 8.5 cm. The mean duration of surgery was 123.2±90 min and blood loss was minimal. The mean post-operative stay in hospital was averagely 3.03 days. There were no intra-operative complications recorded among our series and hospital stay was uneventful. Conclusion: With proper single layer closure of the myoma bed, laparoscopic myomectomy is feasible for moderate and even large myomas not more than three fibroids, and has excellent outcomes.