High unmet needs for cervical cancer screening among women living with HIV in six African countries: A population-based study.

Background: Cisgender women living with HIV (WLWH) are disproportionately impacted by cervical cancer. Nevertheless, disparities in uptake and implementation of cervical cancer services persist in sub-Saharan Africa, where population-level estimates of screening coverage remain scarce.

Methods: We pooled data from nationally representative Population-based HIV Impact Assessment (PHIA) surveys conducted in Ethiopia, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe (2015-2019). After estimating the prevalence of self-reported lifetime cervical cancer screening (overall and by country), survey-weighted multivariable log-binomial regression identified socio-demographic and clinical correlates of screening uptake among WLWH aged 25-64 years.

Results: Overall, 6933 WLWH (mean age: 39.6 years) were included in the multi-country sample. The pooled prevalence of lifetime cervical cancer screening was 18.5% (range: 8.5% [Rwanda] to 25.3% [Zambia]). Screening uptake varied by HIV clinical status, with serostatus-aware (21.3% vs 9.0%), antiretroviral therapy-experienced (22.0% vs 10.5%), and virally suppressed (22.1% vs 11.6%) WLWH, respectively, reporting significantly (p < 0.001) higher screening rates. Screening was especially low among WLWH aged <35 years (14.7%), with no formal education (12.1%), in the poorest households (7.9%), and residing in rural areas (14.0%).

Conclusions: Fewer than one-fifth of WLWH had ever screened for cervical cancer, suggesting expanded availability and access to tailored, integrated services are critically needed.