Assessment of the Knowledge and Utilization of Cervical Cancer Screening Services Amongst Women in Maseru District Lesotho

Cancer of the cervix can be prevented and cured, can be circumvented using vaccines and screening and can be cured when recognised earlier before progress. It is imperceptibly becoming a rare disease in many developed countries; while countries in sub-Saharan Africa remain negatively impacted. Universally, cervical cancer is the third most generic cancer ranking after breast and colorectal cancer and the fourth most pervasive cause of cancer death ranking below breast, lung, and colorectal cancer. Cervical cancer incidence in Africa is high though it varies considerably by region. The predominant incidence is found in Lesotho and eSwatini, two countries that have neither controlled screening orderings nor any anticancer treatment facilities. In Lesotho by 2020 there were 451(44.9%) cases of cervical cancer from a total of 1206 of all other cancers from women of all ages and this percentage is very high. There are various strategies to regulate and prevent cervical cancer which include conventional cytology (smear), liquid-based cytology, human papillomavirus (HPV) screening, and vaccination against HPV. Cytology-based and HPV screening procedures are not easy to be implemented in developing nations like Lesotho. Therefore there are elevated interests in the use of visual screening by use of acetic acid (VIA) test to identify cervical cancer in Lesotho as a developing country.