Background: Cancer of the uterine cervix remains a main public health problem in Sub-Saharan Africa. About two-thirds of patients with cervical cancer were diagnosed at late stage with contributing factors of out-of-pocket medical bill, looking for care out of conventional health settings and multiple visits to healthcare facilities before diagnostic confirmations in Addis Ababa. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify prevalence of late-stage presentation and associated factors among cervical cancer patients in Tikur Anbesa Specialized Hospital (TASH).
Methods: Institutional based cross-sectional study was conducted from March to April 2019 in TASH oncology center. Data were extracted from patient's chart using structured checklist prepared in English and analyzed using STATA14.2. Binary logistic regression model was used to identify variables that affect the outcome variable.
Results: A total of 1057 cervical cancer patients were included in this five-years retrospective study. The prevalence of late-stage presentation among cervical cancer patients was 56.8%. It was affected by being anemic [AOR = 1.55,95%CI (1.17-2.10)], came from Oromia region (AOR = 0.65,95%CI (0.46-0.91) and Addis Ababa city [AOR:0.5;95%CI (0.34-0.73)], rural residency [AOR:1.88;95% (1.38-2.56)] and age ≥ 60 years [AOR:1.89;95%CI (1.12-3.20)].
Conclusion: The study revealed that the prevalence of late-stage presentation among cervical cancer patients is high. Being anemic, regions where patients came from, rural residency and age group ≥ 60 years were statically significant. It is better to expand cervical cancer education for rural dwellers, expand cancer treatment centers and prioritize to patients with anemia and advanced age.
Keywords: Cervical cancer; Ethiopia; Late-stage presentation.