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Browsing Protocols by Author "Agness Banda Mphatso, Kaminga"

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    Prevelance of vaginal candidiasis in women with cervical cancer at QECH
    (Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, 2022-02-09) Agness Banda Mphatso, Kaminga
    Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the necessary cause of cervical cancer. Vulvovaginal infection with pathogens like Candida Albicans is a likely cofactor. The interactions between HPV and Candida albicans are less understood, although inflammation induced by these pathogens has been demonstrated to facilitate oncogenesis. 1.2 Objectives Our study is aimed to evaluate the association between C. Albicans with HPV in cervical oncogenesis at QECH. 1.3 Methodology It is a quantitative cross sectional study. 65 participates will be recruited from the wards in the Gynecology Department at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital. Their age, cervical cancer diagnosis and use of antifungal medication will be assessed using questionnaires. High vaginal swabs will then be collected from the participants to test for the presence of C. Albicans. The collected data will be summarized in terms of graphs and tables. SPSS will be used to analyse the data and come up with an estimation of the association between cervical cancer and vaginal candidiasis. 1.4 Expected findings A higher prevalence of vaginal candidiasis is an expected to be found in women with cervical cancer. 2 Introduction and literature review 2.1 Introduction Vaginal candidiasis is a yeast infection of the vagina and vulva caused by genus candida. Among the 5 species of candida yeast associated with candidiasis, C. Albicans is the most prevalent (1). C. Albicans is a commensal of the skin, mouth, throat, gastrointestinal tract and vagina. However, it can cause vaginal candidiasis if it grows out of control. This can occur can occur with taking broad-spectrum antibiotics,hormonal fluctuations and during chemotherapy. In vaginal candidiasis, candida adheres to the vaginal epithelial cells .This interaction disrupts the vaginal epithelium causing inflammation, lesions and changes in the cervical cells(2). Cervical cancer is a malignant tumor that occurs in the cells of the cervix — the lower part of the uterus that connects to the vagina. Various strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted virus, play a role in causing most cervical cancer. The common HPV serotypes that cause cervical cancer are 16 and 18(3). When exposed to HPV, the body's immune system typically prevents the virus from doing harm. However, literature suggests that 10% of women with HPV infection on their cervix will develop long-lasting infections that contribute to the progression of cervical cancer(4).