Title |
Patient and disease characteristics associated with late tumour stage at presentation of cervical cancer in northwestern Tanzania
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Published in |
BMC Women's Health, January 2016
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DOI | 10.1186/s12905-016-0285-7 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Ramadhani Mlange, Dismas Matovelo, Peter Rambau, Benson Kidenya |
Abstract |
About two thirds of patients with cervical cancer in Tanzania present with advanced tumor stage, leading to significant morbidity and mortality. We designed a study to determine the factors associated with the late tumour stage at presentation among patients with cervical cancer in Mwanza. This cross-sectional study recruited women at Bugando Medical Centre (BMC) with histologically confirmed cervical cancer from November 2013 to April 2014. Patients were recruited serially until the sample size was reached. A total of 202 women with histologically confirmed cervical cancer were recruited. The mean age of the patients was 50.5 ± 13.3 years. The majority of patients (n = 129, 63.9 %) were diagnosed with late stage disease (IIB-IVB). Patients also presented with severe anemia (n = 78, 38.6 %), urinary tract infections (n = 74, 36.6 %), hydronephrosis (n = 43, 21.2 %), elevated serum creatinine levels (n = 33, 16.3 %), vesicovaginal fistula (VVF), (n = 13, 6.4 %), lung metastasis (n = 5, 2.4 %), metastasis to the urinary bladder (n = 4, 1.9 %), rectovaginal fistula (RVF) (n = 3, 1.4 %), liver metastasis (n = 2, 0.9 %) and hydroureter (n = 2, 0.9 %). In multivariate logistic regression, factors associated with late stage at presentation were attending to alternative health practitioners and lack of personal initiative to seek care to formal health facilities (OR 2.3; 95 % CI 1.2-4.2, p = 0.011 and OR 2.0; 95 % CI 1.0-3.8, p = 0.028) respectively. Communities should be sensitized to women's empowerment, provide community education on early symptoms of cervical cancer, and the importance of early hospital attendance. |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Unknown | 136 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Postgraduate | 18 | 13% |
Student > Bachelor | 16 | 12% |
Student > Master | 15 | 11% |
Researcher | 8 | 6% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 8 | 6% |
Other | 18 | 13% |
Unknown | 53 | 39% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Medicine and Dentistry | 49 | 36% |
Nursing and Health Professions | 10 | 7% |
Social Sciences | 4 | 3% |
Chemistry | 3 | 2% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 2 | 1% |
Other | 6 | 4% |
Unknown | 62 | 46% |