The Cervical Cancer
Prevention (CECAP) Program of the JHPIEGO Corporation, which is funded
by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation through the Alliance for
Cervical Cancer Prevention, is currently working on evaluating the
safety, acceptability, feasibility, and programmatic effectiveness
(SAFE) of a test and treat or refer approach to cervical cancer. This
approach involves the use of visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) to
test for cancer or precancerous lesions and cryotherapy treatment of
some precancerous lesions. CECAP conducts its work within the scope of
the Alliance for Cervical Cancer Prevention. a group of five
international organizations involved in cervical cancer prevention
worldwide (AVSC, IARC, PAHO, PATH).
Once the first phase of CECAP's work involving SAFE demonstration
projects is completed, CECAP will have evidence that non-physicians can
safely provide VIA testing and immediate treatment with cryotherapy,
they can identify which lesions need to be referred for management
higher up in the health care delivery system, and that the approach is
acceptable to the providers, women, and their families. Until this phase
has been completed, however, CECAP is limited in the extent to which the
training materials currently being evaluated can be distributed. That
is, any materials related to training in either VIA or cryotherapy may
only be distributed in the context of an organized VIA/cryotherapy
training course. However, CECAP will maintain a list of requests for
such materials so that they can be distributed to requesting individuals
in the future.
The CECAP Program can distribute documents describing the rationale
for cervical cancer prevention programs and the potential links of such
programs to other reproductive health services as well as the suggested
modes of managing precancerous disease. Educational materials describing
risk factors associated with the disease (including the role of human
papillomavirus) are also available for general distribution.