Awareness and knowledge of ovarian cancer symptoms and screening methods among undergraduate female students at Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Uganda

Abstract

INTRODUCTION. Ovarian cancer ranks fifth in cancer deaths among women and causes more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system world-wide. In 2020,Uganda reached 519 deaths with estimated age adjusted Death Rate of 5.26 per 100,000 of the population giving the country a 44th mortality cases rank in the world.It has been established that implementing awareness campaigns on symptoms of ovarian cancer such as bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain occurring more than 12 times in a month guide in early detection and management.There are various ovarian cancer screening methods. These include ultrasonography, CA-125 tumor marker, CT, MRI and Nuclear medicine. Ultrasonography is the most recommended for detecting ovarian cancer. However, in Makerere University College of Health Sciences (MaKCHS), there have not been any webinars or sensitization campaigns to educate female students about ovarian cancer. The college places more emphasis on raising awareness of cervical, breast, and mental health issues OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to assess the awareness and knowledge of ovarian cancer symptoms and screening methods among undergraduate female students at Makerere University College of Health. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study was carried out among female undergraduates undertaking different programs at College of Health Sciences of Makerere University. Qualitative data was collected from consenting students. Data was collected using intervieweradministered questionnaires. Data collected was then analyzed and represented in form of tables, pie-charts and bar graphs. RESULTS: One hundred sixty three (163) of 678 female undergraduates completed the questionnaires. Majority of the responders were from year one, school of medicine and of 20-24 age brackets. 43.56% were not aware of any common symptom of ovarian cancer while 92 were aware of at least one common symptom of ovarian cancer. Ninety six (96) of the students knew Pap smear as the recommended method for ovarian cancer screening. And a total of 21 of the female undergraduates know the bimanual screening method as a combination of ultrasonography and CA-125 tumor marker. CONCLUSION:The study established that female undergraduate students have limited knowledge of the screening methods and the frequency of occurrence of ovarian cancer symptoms.This shows that less information about ovarian cancer is given to the young population who are in most occasions involved in sensitization of the general public. Therefore, it is could be the cause of increasing number of ovarian cancer cases in Uganda.This study thus, provides significant value to the college in developing appropriate educational tools regarding ovarian cancer awareness. RECOMMENDATION.The college should increase awareness of ovarian cancer symptoms since 71 of the163 respondents did not know any common symptom.The college should organize training sessions to teach the females about the screening methods of ovarian. This is because a majority of the respondents knew Pap smear as a screening method for ovarian cancer which is not right.