RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: Cervical cancer remains the second leading cause of death among women in Cameroon despite the new strategies put in place. This study was conducted in order to determine the prevalence of precancerous cervical lesions and its associated factors in Douala (Cameroon). METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted over a period of nine months in two hospitals of the city of Douala, Cameroon (Laquintinie Hospital and Gyneco-Ostetric and Pediatric Hospital). Cervico-vaginal and endocervical samples were taken from women attending the above-mentioned hospitals in order to identify and characterize precancerous lesions by cytological examination and to genotype for human papillomavirus (HPV) using the Abbott RealTime High-Risk (HR) HPV kit. Data of sociodemographic characteristics, clinical history, and knowledge about cervical cancer were collected using a questionnaire. RESULTS: Of the 196 women included in this study, 17% had precancerous lesions, including 1.53% for atypical glandular cells (AGC), 4.53% for atypical squamous cells (ASC), 4.53% for low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL), 5.61% for high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL), 0.51% for atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US), and 0.51% for atypical squamous cells cannot exclude HSIL (ASC-H). In addition, the prevalence of HPV infection was 18%, of which 2% was for HPV 16, 2% for HPV 18, and 14% for undetermined HPV. A positive association was recorded between the occurrence of precancerous lesions and HPV infection (P=0.01), age, and school level. Moreover, the occurrence of precancerous lesions was positively associated with the participants' level of knowledge (P=0.01). DISCUSSION: Precancerous lesions were predominantly HSIL, and the factor most associated with these lesions was HPV infection. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that diagnosis is made at a relatively late stage due to a low level of knowledge about cervical cancer in the population.