Index - HPV Consortium Website

HPV Consortium

HPV Consortium, College of Medicine, University College Hospital, University of Ibadan is a multidisciplinary research group that cut across different disciplines and specialties with the overall goal of setting research agenda to promote, prevent, diagnose, treat and investigate HPV infections and associated morbidities across all anatomical sites and not limited to cervical cancer alone. The Consortium is currently collaborating with several international institutions through joint application for grants to generate local evident to promote evidence-based policies and programme.

The increasing research endeavor from the NU-CoMUI partnership led by Drs Hou (NU) and Morhason-Bello (CoMUI) resulted into the establishment of the HPV Consortium, CoMUI. This consortium is a multidisciplinary team of Clinician Scientists from the Faculty of Clinical Sciences, Dentistry, Public Health, Infectious Disease institute, Social Sciences and other departments/units. The Consortium has a molecular laboratory that primarily offer diagnostic tests on HPV infections and associated cancers using different HPV detection platforms. The molecular laboratory also has telepathology and digital microscopes for HPV associated cancers including cervical, oral and oropharyngeal cancers, and anal cancers amongst others.

Human Papillomavirus

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually-transmitted infection worldwide, with nearly all sexually active women and men infected during their lifetime. HPV infection is highly prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), due to the lack of widespread HPV vaccination. There is increasing evidence that Human Papillomavirus (HPV)-associated cancers (HAC) are rising with ~630,000 incident cancers/year globally (~5% of all cancer cases), of which ~430,000 (67%) occur in low and middle income countries (LMICs), particularly, in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) including Nigeria. In LMICs, nearly 20-30% of all cancer cases are associated with HPV. Persistence of newly acquired or reactivated latent high-risk HPV (hr-HPV) infection is a major cause of several cancers, particularly cervical, anal, and oral/oropharyngeal (OOPC) cancers. There is overwhelming evidence that Nigeria has one of the highest HPV infections in the world especially among sexually active population, and it also harbors high burden of HPV-associated cancers in the general and key affected population. Nigeria alone accounted for nearly half of all reported cervical cancer (CC), 62.6% of anal cancer, and 56% of all oral and oral and oropharyngeal cancers (OOPC) among the 16 West African countries. Nigeria with a national prevalence of 1.4% of the general population has the fourth-highest national burden of HIV worldwide. Unfortunately, most of the people diagnosed with these cancers presented late when definitive treatment for cure is no longer feasible. The synergistic played by HPV and HIV coinfections as well as the changing sexual behaviors including unprotected oral and anal sexual acts in young population flare up the burden of both infections and subsequently increase the burden of HACs in Nigeria especially among people living with HIV. Several studies across the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria showed that HPV infections and associated cancers are increasingly reported including cervical, oral and oropharyngeal, anal and penile cancers due to increasing reports of different sexual risk behaviours and limited infrastructure to promote population screening, particularly, at the primary health facilities. For example, a large study conducted (largest multianatomic site HPV epidemiology study in West Africa) through a collaboration between University of Ibadan and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK entitled Sexual Behavior and HPV Infections in Nigerians in Ibadan - SHINI study - (2017-2019) on cervical, anal, vulva and oral HPV infections was conducted among sexually active women (N=310) and men, and 315 female sex workers (FSWs) aged 18-45 years in Ibadan (24, 25). The study showed that high prevalence of high-risk HPV infections in the cervical, oral, anal, penile and vulvar sites with majority having multiple and concordant infections in multiple anatomical sites that could be a predilection for persistent infections and cancers at these sites.

Oral/Oropharyngeal Cancer

The oral cavity together with the oropharynx constitute the uppermost parts of the digestive tract with the oropharynx being posterior to the oral cavity. The epithelium of this region is stratified squamous cell carcinoma with varying degrees of keratinization. Over 90% of malignancies in this region is Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Oral cancers are diagnosed in over 300,000 people worldwide yearly with a wide geographical variation. it is the eight most common malignancy. Strictly oropharyngeal cancers are much rarer with over 29,000 new cases yearly. Traditionally, Alcohol consumption and tobacco smoking over prolonged periods have been the risk factors to these cancers and the age of occurrence was from the 6th decade of life. In the past 30 years, there has been an increase of over 20% in the incidence of oral and oropharyngeal SCC in western countries. This increase has also been demonstrated in sub-Saharan Africa. About 25% of these oral cancers and 90% of oropharyngeal cancers (OOPC) are associated with persistence of High-Risk Human Papilloma Virus infection, specifically HPV type 16, in the oral and oropharyngeal cavities. This rapid increase of HPV associated oropharyngeal cancer (HPV+OPSCC) is a major healthcare concern and it requires a reassessment of the diagnosis and treatment of this condition. This disease entity presents in younger (4th decade), fitter and more affluent individuals who drink less alcohol, smoke less tobacco but engage more frequently in unprotected oral sex. It also presents with a more aggressive clinical course than the traditional HPV-OPSCC. Paradoxically, it is more amenable to treatment but still leaves these young individuals with considerable alteration in their quality of life. Sadly, unlike cervical cancer, the mechanism by which the High -risk HPV infection causes OOPC is not known and there is also no universal consensus on their premalignant lesions. The epigenetic biomarkers are yet to be determined. These are areas of much needed research as the development of HPV screening and HPV vaccination programs will lead to a reduction in the incidence and mortality of this disease.

Cervical Cancer

Penile Cancer

Other HPV-Associated Cancers

Our Core Focus Areas

Clinical Research:
Conducting studies on HPV and cervical cancer prevention strategies.

Community-based Screening:
Programs designed to reach underserved and high-risk populations.

HPV Testing:
Leveraging molecular diagnostics and promoting self-sampling innovations.

Treatment Services:
Providing procedures such as colposcopy, thermal ablation, and LEEP.

Capacity Building:
Offering healthcare worker training and strengthening health systems.

Public Engagement and Advocacy:
Enhancing awareness, vaccine uptake, and screening participation.

Our Values

Equity

Ensuring everyone, regardless of background, have access to preventive care.

Excellence

Grounded in rigorous, ethically sound research and clinical practice.

Partnership

Working with communities, health systems, and global partners.

Sustainability

Building systems that endure beyond the life of any single project.

Projects

These are some of our projects

SHINI Study

The epidemiology of and risk factors for oro-genital and anal human papillomavirus infections among sexually active Nigerians: A mixed methods study

EpOOCH Study

Epigenetics of Oral HPV and associated Oral/Oropharyngeal Cancer in people living with HIV in Nigeria.

WASH-CC Study

West Africa Self-sampling HPV Based Cervical Control Program

The IMPROVE HPV

Understanding Vaccination Hesitancy and evaluating single dose and gender-neutral vaccination for improving uptake of HPV vaccine in West Africa

METAGENOMICS

The Comparison of Ovarian and Cervical Cancer Metagenomics in Redefining Treatment in University College Hospital, Ibadan

MOBILE CLINIC

HPV-Associated Cancer Prevention and Control Program in Mali, Nigeria and Senegal

BIGCaT

Epigenetic Biomarkers of Anal high-risk Human Papillomavirus Infection in Women with Cervical high-risk Human Papillomavirus Infections

Our Core Values

Our Vision & Mission

Vision Statement

To be a leading force in the prevention and elimination of HPV-associated cancers in Nigeria through research, innovation, and equitable access to care.

Mision Statement

To coordinate research, strengthen health systems, and improve access to HPV testing, treatment, and prevention services, while empowering communities with knowledge and skills for sustainable cancer control.

We offer the following services