Thibang Diphatlha: Testing Adaptive Strategies to Close the Gap from Cervical Cancer Diagnosis to Treatment in Botswana
DESCRIPTION
Women in the sub-Saharan African nation of Botswana are 10 times more likely than their American counterparts to die of cervical cancer. This is due in large part to the nation’s high prevalence of HIV, which substantially increases cervical cancer risk. Botswana has the world’s third-highest rate of HIV prevalence, with 22 percent of its population infected. Compounding the challenges, however, are persistent gaps in communication and coordination that routinely lead to catastrophic breakdowns in diagnosis and treatment.
As part of a study supported by a $3.5 million grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), investigators are identifying and testing communication methods, such as text messaging or phone-based patient navigation, that hold the potential to streamline the coordination of cervical cancer treatment and diagnosis. The study will employ a Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial (SMART) design and will leverage qualitative comparative analysis to understand factors which impact participants’ response to strategies encouraging adoption of timely treatment, defined as initiation of treatment within 90 days.
Findings from this study will inform future work in cancer control in lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and will advance the understanding of interventions which can improve cancer control where resources are limited.
IMPACT
This work builds on the ongoing efforts of the Botswana-UPenn Partnership and the Department of Radiation Oncology at Penn, working to improve health in Botswana since 2001. If successful, the strategies employed in this study could be easily translated to address other areas of cancer control.
PEOPLE
Surbhi Grover, MD, MPH; Katharine Rendle, PhD, MSW, MPH; Kristin Linn, PhD; Rinad Beidas, PhD; Debra Ritzwoller, PhD; Doreen Ramogola-Masire, BMed Sci, BMBS, FCOG, MSC; Ari Ho Foster, BSc, MSc; Lisa Bazzett-Matabele, MD; Rebecca Luckett, MD, MPH; Thanolo Kashamba, MBChB, MMed; Koorileng Kesalopa
FUNDING
National Cancer Institute
MEDIA
UB Launches Cancer Study Titled Thibang Diphatlha Through a P45.4 Million US Grant, University of Botswana
Thibang Diphatlha to Curb Cancer Diagnosis Delays, Botswana Daily News
UB to Launch Thibang Diphatlha, Botswana Daily News
Thibang Diphathla Study Launch, Start Up Mag Botswana
FACT SHEET: Cancer Moonshot Announces New Actions Aimed to Reduce the Cancer Burden in Africa as Part of the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, The White House
National Cancer Institute grants Penn Medicine $3.5 million for cervical cancer care in Botswana, The Daily Pennsylvanian
Penn Medicine: $3.5 Million National Cancer Institute Grant to Improve Cervical Cancer Care in Botswana, University of Pennsylvania Almanac
Penn Medicine Receives $3.5 Million NCI Grant to Improve Cervical Cancer Care in Botswana, Penn Medicine News
By Scott Harris