Since 2015, a collaborative effort has been underway between the gynecology departments of the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), Dschang District Hospital, and the University of Dschang. This collaboration has given rise to a self-administered HPV-based cervical cancer screening program targeting women aged 30 to 49 in the health district of Dschang, located in the West Region of Cameroon. The screening program adopts a same-day test-triage-and-treat approach (3T approach).

While cytology is generally proposed for triaging HPV-positive women due to its effectiveness, various logistic and operational challenges in Cameroon hinder its successful implementation in all areas. Consequently, the 3T approach relies on visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) of the cervix for triage. However, VIA is a highly subjective procedure, and its diagnostic accuracy for detecting precancer and cancer varies from one setting to another.

In a prior study, it was discovered that a quality-assured telecytologic diagnosis could serve as an effective solution in regions with a shortage of specialists (P. Vassilakos et al. 2023). Hence, the intention is to introduce telecytologic triage for self-sampled HPV-positive women in Cameroon as part of the 3T approach.

This e-learning module  is specifically designed for practicing cytotechnologists and cytopathologists who wish to engage in the 3T approach and become familiar with virtual microscopy. It is important to note that this tutorial does not aim to comprehensively cover the entire subject of gynecologic cytopathology, as such information can be found in various distinguished textbooks and e-teaching methods.