Highlighting Interventions of Priority for Cervical Cancer Elimination in Nigeria

PURPOSE The World Health Organization's Cervical Cancer Elimination Initiative (CCEI) proposed a roadmap for the world to eliminate cervical cancer by the turn of the century. While most developed countries have a demonstrable pathway to attain the cervical cancer elimination targets, most developing countries on the other hand don't have a clear path to attain the targets. The Stakeholders' Summit for Cervical Cancer Elimination in Nigeria was conceptualized to provide a platform for cross fertilization of ideas amongst stakeholders whose activities can impact Nigeria's ability to attain the targets. We hereby present the report of the first summit. METHODS This is a narrative review of the implementation process of the first Stakeholders' Summit on Cervical Cancer Elimination in Nigeria and report of interventions of priority towards achieving the cervical cancer elimination targets highlighted by the stakeholders. The organizing committee applied Delphi technique to identify the interventions of priority to be highlighted while the stakeholders at the summit discussed barriers and facilitators to implementation of the highlighted interventions. RESULTS The organizing committee of the summit was made up of 11 members and a total of 98 stakeholders attended the summit. Effective communication strategies to mitigate misinformation was highlighted as intervention of priority towards achieving the 90% HPV vaccination coverage. Integrated services was highlighted as a priority strategy towards achieving 70% screening coverage. Health system strengthening for equitable access to treatment was highlighted as priority intervention towards achieving 90% coverage. And lastly, development of a robust database was highlighted as a priority intervention. The summit also laid the ground for formation of various collaborations for cervical cancer elimination. CONCLUSION There are a number of isolated interventions on cervical cancer prevention in Nigeria that can be leveraged to provide a path to cervical cancer elimination. Coordinating and synergizing these activities should be the immediate priority for cervical cancer prevention and control.