Preventing cervical cancer in women living with HIV in central Kenya
Official title: KEMRI-PHRD UG1 CASCADE NETWORK UNIT: CERVICAL CANCER PREVENTION FOR WOMEN LIVING WITH HIV RESEARCH
Funded at Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri) · NIH-11118696 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Offers screening and same-day treatment to help prevent cervical cancer in women living with HIV at local clinics in central Kenya.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri) NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Nairobi City, Kenya) |
| Project start | September 19, 2023 |
| Project end | May 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $172,013 |
| NIH project number | 5UG1CA285132-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11118696 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Women living with HIV who receive care at the participating public hospitals in Kiambu County (Thika, Ruiru, Igegania) and are eligible for cervical cancer screening.
✕Less likely to help
Women not living with HIV, not receiving care at the listed clinics, already diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer, or with medical reasons preventing screening or thermal ablation may not benefit from this program.
What this research studies
If you are a woman living with HIV and attend care at the participating clinics, you may be offered cervical cancer screening as part of your routine visits. The clinics use a screen-and-treat approach where abnormal findings can often be treated the same day using a thermal ablation device. The work is run by KEMRI in partnership with local HIV programs and builds on an ongoing implementation effort called TIBA. Participation may include the screening procedure, a brief outpatient treatment if needed, and follow-up visits.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: This could reduce cervical cancer cases and deaths by finding and treating precancer early among women living with HIV.
How similar studies have gone: Screen-and-treat approaches with single-visit thermal ablation have shown promise in similar low-resource settings and are being used in related projects like the TIBA implementation study.
Where this research is happening
-
Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri)
Nairobi City, Kenya Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mugo, Nelly Rwamba — Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri)
- Study coordinator: Mugo, Nelly Rwamba
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Community and digital tools to reduce HPV and cervical cancer burden
A nurse or health team will test a community-based, digital strategy to help girls and young women, especially in rural areas, get HPV vaccination and cervical cancer prevention services.
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Community and digital tools to reduce HPV and cervical cancer in women with HIV
A community- and digital-technology program aims to help girls and young women, including those with HIV, get more HPV vaccination and cervical cancer prevention services.
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mSaada: a mobile tool to boost cervical cancer screening in western Kenya
A mobile app helps community health volunteers manage cervical cancer screening tasks and follow-up for women in low-resource areas.
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Globally useful predictor for cervical cancer treatment response
This project aims to develop a simple predictive signature to personalize treatment for locally advanced cervical cancer using easy tests and imaging.
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HPV self-collection in HIV care to screen for cervical cancer in Ethiopia
A patient-centered program tests a simple HPV self-collection approach within HIV clinics in Ethiopia to help detect cervical cancer earlier.
-
Hybrid approach to boost cervical cancer screening in Uganda
A tested, community-driven program helps Ugandan women encourage their peers to get free VIA cervical cancer screening.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.