article · Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health
Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Tanzania, making surveillance systems critical for effective disease prevention and management. An evaluation of the Dodoma population-based cervical cancer surveillance system examined its operational usefulness and performance throughout 2022 using standard public health surveillance assessment guidelines. Across the year, the system identified 123 cases of cervical cancer, the majority of which were squamous cell carcinoma and primarily reported by a single pathology laboratory. While the system demonstrated strong performance in flexibility, timeliness, sensitivity, and acceptability, it displayed moderate data quality and weak system stability. Despite these operational limitations, the surveillance data proved valuable for strategic planning and resource deployment, showing that improvements are needed in data accuracy and long-term financial stability.
Cervical cancer causes significant mortality among women in Tanzania. Reliable surveillance systems are essential for health authorities to track disease trends, evaluate control programmes, and allocate limited medical resources effectively. Pinpointing the operational weaknesses of regional monitoring programmes allows public health leaders to strengthen health data infrastructure, improve system funding, and enhance prevention strategies.
The abstract outlines an applied public health surveillance evaluation rather than a commercial product or technology. The findings could inform public health agencies, non-governmental organisations, and healthcare administrators looking to optimise cancer registries and monitoring frameworks in low-resource settings. Aside from identifying operational needs for better data quality and sustainable funding, the abstract does not indicate a commercialisation pathway.
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Introduction: Cervical cancer has been noted as one of the major life-threatening non-communicable diseases globally. It is the fourth most frequent cancer among women, with an estimated 604 000 new cases in 2020. In Tanzania, it’s the leading cause of cancer-related deaths, with an incidence of 625 cases per 1,000,000 women per year. Cervical cancer surveillance is an essential component in cancer control and prevention. However, the performance of this system in Tanzania is not known. We conducted an evaluation to assess the usefulness and performance of the cervical cancer surveillance system in Dodoma to identify areas for improvement. Methods: We evaluated Dodoma’s population-based cervical cancer surveillance system from January 2022 to December 2022. Using the United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for evaluating public health surveillance systems, eight attributes were assessed. For each attribute, indicators were developed and described using quantitative or qualitative methods. Scores for each indicator were categorised as <60%, 60–79%, and >80% as weak, moderate, and good performance, respectively. Document review and interviews were conducted to collect relevant data on system performance. Data were analyzed by Epi Info 7. Results: Between January and December 2022, the system recorded 123 cases of cervical cancer. Of these, 76 (62%) were reported by the Makey Pathology Laboratory. Squamous cell carcinoma accounted for 109 cases (89%), and 25 cases (20%) involved patients under 45 years of age. The system performed well on timeliness, acceptability, flexibility, and sensitivity, while it showed moderate performance on data quality and weaker performance in stability. The overall mean score across all eight attributes was 2.4, indicating moderate to good performance. Conclusion: Overall system performance was satisfactory, with moderate to good performance. Data have been useful in guiding resource allocation and forming strategic guidelines for the prevention of cervical cancer. To strengthen the system further, efforts should focus on improving financial sustainability as well as data quality.
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DOI: 10.37432/jieph-d-24-02029
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