KMTC to train treatment of cervical cancer lesions by freezing

The Kenya Medical Training Institute will now be able to train students to treat cervical cancer lesions by a process of freezing.

The process known as cryotherapy will see Kenya able to treat the lesions before they develop into cancer using extreme cold that destroys the abnormal cells.

This is after the government received three cryotherapy and thermoablation machines for the procedure from Jhpiego, a nonprofit organization affiliated with John Hopkins University.

Studies in other low-income countries have shown that cryotherapy has an 88 per cent cure rate for precancerous cervical cancer.

KMTC students will learn the procedure where a clinician inserts a small stick and tip called a cryoprobe attached to a supply of liquid nitrogen or carbon dioxide.

The machine uses the gases to freeze and destroy the abnormal cells that are not yet cancerous but could develop into cancer if not treated.

Despite cervical cancer is a preventable and treatable disease if diagnosed early, the disease remains one of the most common cancers in Kenya.

“Lack of training and skills for cancer screening among primary healthcare workers is a major setback in cervical and breast cancer control in Kenya,” Ag Health DG Patrick Amoth said.

“These devices will go a long way in equipping the training labs at the campus to enhance the students’ skills in treating cervical cancer precancerous lesions,” he added.

Jhpiego country director Stephen Mutwiwa said the partnership will also see the organization support the colleges to teach students how to identify the abnormal cells in the cervix through a technique called Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA).

The VIA involves applying to dilute acetic acid solution (vinegar) to the cervix. Lesions turn a white colour and the clinician can offer cryotherapy.

The sexually transmitted Human Papillomavirus (HPV) causes a majority of cervical cancers.

Data from the World Health Organisation shows that it is the second most common and deadliest cancer.

The disease is estimated to have claimed 3,211 lives among women aged above 30 in Kenya in 2020 alone.

Regular screening of women can help pick abnormal cells that might otherwise take years to develop into full-blown disease.

According to the Head of the Division of National Cancer Control Programme at the ministry Dr Mary Nyangasi, Kenya has embraced the WHO call to eliminate cervical cancer and is working towards achieving the 90-70-90 targets by 2030.

The government plans to vaccinate 90 per cent of all eligible girls between 10 to 14 years, screen 70 percent of all eligible women and 90 per cent of all those found to have cervical disease treated.

“KMTC graduates the largest number of healthcare workers and their training is part of the long-term strategy to ensure continuity and sustainability of the government’s efforts against cancer,” KMTC CEO Kelly Oluoch said.

The ministry introduced the HPV vaccine for the prevention of cervical cancer into the routine immunisation schedule in 2019 and aims to reach at least 700,000 girls per year.

The President launched the vaccination campaign in October 2019 with a target to reach 800,000 girls with the jab within a period of one year with two doses of the vaccine, six months apart.

The vaccine against the cancer-causing HPV targets 10-year-old girls administered in two doses six months apart, at about 9,000 public, private and faith-based facilities countrywide.

But with the onset of Covid-19, the national immunisation programme was affected due to either the severe health system constraints or physical distancing measures in place to mitigate the pandemic.