BackgroundCervical cancer is the third most common cancer among women worldwide, and in Nigeria it is the second most common female cancer. Cervical cancer is an AIDS-defining cancer; however, HIV only marginally increases the risk of cervical pre-cancer and cancer. In this study, we examine the risk factors for cervical pre-cancer and cancer among HIV-positive women screened for cervical cancer at two medical institutions in Abuja, Nigeria.MethodsA total of 2,501 HIV-positive women participating in the cervical cancer screen-and-treat program in Abuja, Nigeria consented to this study and provided socio-demographic and clinical information. Log-binomial models were used to calculate relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) for the risk factors of cervical pre-cancer and cancer.ResultsThere was a 6% prevalence of cervical pre-cancer and cancer in the study population of HIV-positive women. The risk of screening positivity or invasive cancer diagnosis reduced with increasing age, with women aged 40 years and older having the lowest risk (RR=0.4; 95%CI=0.2–0.7). Women with a CD4 count of 650 per mm3 or more also had lower risk of screening positivity or invasive cancer diagnosis (RR=0.3, 95%CI=0.2–0.6). Other factors such as having had 5 or more abortions (RR=1.8, 95%CI=1.0–3.6) and the presence of other vaginal wall abnormalities (RR=1.9, 95%CI=1.3–2.8) were associated with screening positivity or invasive cancer diagnosis.ConclusionThe prevalence of screening positive lesions or cervical cancer was lower than most previous reports from Africa. HIV-positive Nigerian women were at a marginally increased risk of cervical pre-cancer and cancer. These findings highlight the need for more epidemiological studies of cervical cancer and pre-cancerous lesions among HIV-positive women in Africa and an improved understanding of incidence and risk factors.

BackgroundIn developed countries, the incidence of cervical cancer has remained stable in HIV+ women but the prevalence and multiplicity of high-risk HPV (hrHPV) infection, a necessary cause of cervical cancer, appears different comparing HIV+ to HIV- women. Little is known about HIV and HPV co-infection in Africa.MethodsWe enrolled women presenting at our cervical cancer screening program in Abuja, Nigeria between April and August 2012, and collected information on demographic characteristics, risk factors of HPV infection and samples of exfoliated cervical cells. We used Roche Linear Array HPV Genotyping Test® to characterize prevalent HPV and logistic regression models to estimate the association between HIV and the risk of hrHPV infection.ResultsThere were 278 participants, 54% (151) were HIV+, 40% (111) were HIV-, and 6% (16) had unknown HIV status. Of these, data from 149 HIV+ and 108 HIV- women were available for analysis. The mean ages (±SD) were 37.6 (±7.7) years for HIV+ and 36.6 (±7.9) years for HIV- women (p-value = 0.34). Among the HIV+ women, HPV35 (8.7%) and HPV56 (7.4%) were the most prevalent hrHPV, while HPV52 and HPV68 (2.8%, each) were the most prevalent hrHPV types among HIV- women. The multivariate prevalence ratio for any hrHPV and multiple hrHPV infections were 4.18 (95% CI 2.05 – 8.49, p-value <0.0001) and 6.6 (95% CI 1.49 – 29.64, p-value 0.01) respectively, comparing HIV + to HIV- women, adjusted for age, and educational level.ConclusionsHIV infection was associated with increased risk of any HPV, hrHPV and multiple HPV infections. Oncogenic HPV types 35, 52, 56 and 68 may be more important risk factors for cervical pre-cancer and cancer among women in Africa. Polyvalent hrHPV vaccines meant for African populations should protect against other hrHPV types, in addition to 16 and 18.

Introduction. Uptake of antenatal services is low in Nigeria; however, indicators in the Christian-dominated South have been better than in the Muslim-dominated North. This study evaluated religious influences on utilization of general and HIV-related maternal health services among women in rural and periurban North-Central Nigeria. Materials and Methods. Targeted participants were HIV-positive, pregnant, or of reproductive age in the Federal Capital Territory and Nasarawa. Themes explored were utilization of facility-based services, provider gender preferences, and Mentor Mother acceptability. Thematic and content approaches were applied to manual data analysis. Results. Sixty-eight (68) women were recruited, 72% Christian and 28% Muslim. There were no significant religious influences identified among barriers to maternal service uptake. All participants stated preference for facility-based services. Uptake limitations were mainly distance from clinic and socioeconomic dependence on male partners rather than religious restrictions. Neither Muslim nor Christian women had provider gender preferences; competence and positive attitude were more important. All women found Mentor Mothers highly acceptable. Conclusion. Barriers to uptake of maternal health services appear to be minimally influenced by religion. ANC/PMTCT uptake interventions should target male partner buy-in and support, healthcare provider training to improve attitudes, and Mentor Mother program strengthening and impact assessment.

High risk HPV (hrHPV) infection is a necessary cause of cervical cancer but the host genetic determinants of infection are poorly understood. We enrolled 267 women who presented to our cervical cancer screening program in Abuja, Nigeria between April 2012 and August 2012. We collected information on demographic characteristics, risk factors of cervical cancer and obtained samples of blood and cervical exfoliated cells from all participants. We used Roche Linear Array HPV Genotyping Test® to characterize the prevalent HPV according to manufacturer's instruction; Sequenom Mass Array to test 21 SNPs in genes/regions previously associated with hrHPV and regression models to examine independent factors associated with HPV infection. We considered a p<0.05 as significant because this is a replication study. There were 65 women with and 202 women without hrHPV infection. Under the allelic model, we found significant association between two SNPs, rs2305809 on RPS19 and rs2342700 on TYMS, and prevalent hrHPV infection. Multivariate analysis of hrHPV risk adjusted for age, body mass index, smoking, age of menarche, age at sexual debut, lifetime total number of sexual partners and the total number of pregnancies as covariates, yielded a p-value of 0.071 and 0.010 for rs2305809 and rs2342700, respectively. Our findings in this unique population suggest that a number of genetic risk variants for hrHPV are shared with other population groups. Definitive studies with larger sample sizes and using genome wide approaches are needed to understand the genetic architecture of hrHPV risk in multiple populations.

Background Mentor mothers provide psychosocial and other support to pregnant and post-partum women living with HIV (WLHIV), which has been shown to enhance maternal-infant outcomes in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT). Our objective was to assess the acceptability of mentor mothers as a PMTCT intervention, and to explore opinions on mentor mother program composition and delivery among stakeholders in North-Central Nigeria. Methods We conducted nine focus group discussions and 31 in-depth interviews with 118 participants, including WLHIV, pregnant women, male partners, health workers, traditional birth attendants, community leaders, PMTCT program implementers, and policymakers. Participants were purposively recruited from health facilities and surrounding communities in the Federal Capital Territory and Nasarawa State. Transcripts were manually analysed using a Grounded Theory approach, where theory was derived from the data collected. Results Most participants were female (n = 78, 67%), and married (n = 110, 94%). All participant groups found  mentor mothers acceptable as women providing care to pregnant and postpartum women, and as WLHIV supporting other WLHIV. Mentor mothers were uniquely relatable as role models for WLHIV because they were women, living with HIV, and had achieved an HIV-negative status for their HIV-exposed infants. Mentor mothers were recognized as playing major roles in maternal health education, HIV treatment initiation, adherence, and retention, HIV prevention for male partners and infants, and couple HIV disclosure. Most WLHIV preferred to receive mentor mothers’ services at health facilities rather than at home, due to concerns about HIV-related stigma and discrimination through association with mentor mothers. Key mentor mother needs were identified as training, remuneration, and validation as lay health workers. Conclusions Mentor mothers are an acceptable PMTCT intervention among stakeholders in North-Central Nigeria. However, stigma and discrimination for both mentor mothers and their clients remain a critical challenge, and mentor mother needs such as training, pay, and a sustainably supported niche in health systems require focused attention. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov registration number (NCT 01936753), registered on September 3, 2013 (retrospectively registered).