Submitted:
15 July 2026
Posted:
15 July 2026
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Abstract
Background/Objectives: In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), cervical cancer (CC) ranks as the leading gynecological cancer. This study assesses the physicians’ knowledge and clinical practices regarding CC screening in both university and non-university hospitals across four provinces in the northeast of the country. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from April 15, 2025 to June 15, 2025, in Kisangani, Buta, Isiro, and Bunia, the respective capitals of the provinces of Tshopo, Bas-Uele, Haut-Uele, and Ituri, in the DRC. We collected data using a self-administered questionnaire completed by 26 physicians from university hospitals and 106 physicians from non-university hospitals. Data analysis was performed using R software, version 4.3.2. Results: Of the 175 eligible physicians, 132 (75.4%) were surveyed. Regardless of the hospital where they worked, respondents demonstrated similar knowledge regarding most CC screening modalities. However, physicians working in university hospitals had significantly better knowledge of the targeted age range (p-value=0.001). Overall, 41 respondents (31.1%) had sufficient knowledge. Physicians at university clinics and those living in Bunia/Ituri province (p-value=0.047 and p-value=0.017 respectively) were more susceptible to have sufficient knowledge. In both university and non-university hospitals, the majority of physicians (57.7% and 49.1% respectively), reported having screened 1–10 women in the previous 12 months, using the VILI (57.7 % and 32.1% respectively). Good screening practices were observed in six participants (4.5%), including some obstetrician-gynecologists (p-value=0.037). Conclusion: Most physicians in northeastern DRC lack adequate knowledge of CC screening, and their screening practices remain suboptimal. Improving their knowledge and clinical practices may require stronger involvement from obstetrician-gynecologists and university hospitals, as well as a cooperation with experienced healthcare providers from other provinces or neighboring countries.
Keywords:
cervical cancer
; screening
; knowledge
; practices
; Democratic Republic of the Congo
Copyright: This open access article is published under a Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license, which permit the free download, distribution, and reuse, provided that the author and preprint are cited in any reuse.
