Prevelance of vaginal candidiasis in women with cervical cancer at QECH
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Date
2022-02-09
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Kamuzu University of Health Sciences
Abstract
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).
Description
Keywords
Prevelance of Vaginal Candidiasis in Cervical Cancer Women