PURPOSE Breast cancer (BC) has the highest mortality rate among women with any form of cancer in developing countries. Unfortunately, patients with BC in Nigeria commonly present with late-stage disease. The current study examined the types and magnitude of delay in BC diagnosis at the foremost hospital in Nigeria and also identified the influencing factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS This cross-sectional study involved questionnaires given to 275 patients with BC at University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria, from August to October 2018. Sociodemographic characteristics and information relevant to management of their health problem were obtained after ethical committee approval. Data collected were analyzed by SPSS (version 23; SPSS, Chicago, IL) to assess the types and magnitude of delay experienced by patients, as well as identify related determinants using the appropriate statistical test with P = .05. RESULTS The mean age of respondents was 49 (± 11.9) years with the majority being Yoruba (n = 154; 56%), Christians (n = 211; 76.7%), married (n = 193; 70.2%), employed (n = 151; 54.9%), having tertiary education (n = 142; 51.6%) and an average income of more than 18,000 naira (n = 176; 64%). Patient delay and diagnostic delay were observed among 97 respondents (35.3%) and 84 respondents (30.5%), respectively. Although patient delay was significantly associated with age, ethnicity, and marital status, the only variable significantly associated with diagnostic delay was marital status ( P < .05). Level of income, education, employment status, and religion did not significantly ( P > .05) contribute to either of these delays. CONCLUSION BC management at the pioneer Nigerian teaching hospital is challenged by both delays in patient presentation at clinics and delays in the process of being diagnosed. Such delays need to be addressed to achieve favorable outcome of patients with BC in Nigeria.
PurposeIn-vivo measurements to determine doses to organs-at-risk can be an essential part of brachytherapy quality assurance (QA). This study compares calculated doses to the rectum with measured dose values as a means of QA in vaginal vault brachytherapy using cylinder applicators.Material and methodsAt the Department of Radiotherapy, University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Nigeria, intracavitary brachytherapy (ICBT) was delivered by a GyneSource high-dose-rate (HDR) unit with 60Co. Standard 2D treatment plans were created with HDR basic 2.6 software for prescription doses 5-7 Gy at points 5 mm away from the posterior surface of vaginal cylinder applicators (20, 25, and 30 mm diameters). The LiF:Mg, Ti thermoluminescent dosimeter rods (1 x 6 mm) were irradiated to a dose of 7 Gy on Theratron 60Co machine for calibration purpose prior to clinical use. Measurements in each of 34 insertions involving fourteen patients were performed with 5 TLD-100 rods placed along a re-usable rectal marker positioned in the rectum. The dosimeters were read in Harshaw 3500 TLD reader and compared with doses derived from the treatment planning system (TPS) at 1 cm away from the dose prescription points.ResultsThe mean calculated and measured doses ranged from 2.1-3.8 Gy and 1.2-5.6 Gy with averages of 3.0 ± 0.5 Gy and 3.1 ± 1.1 Gy, respectively, for treatment lengths 2-8 cm along the cylinder-applicators. The mean values correspond to 48.9% and 50.8% of the prescribed doses, respectively. The deviations of the mean in-vivo doses from the TPS values ranged from –1.9 to 2.1 Gy with a p-value of 0.427.ConclusionsThis study was part of efforts to verify rectal dose obtained from the TPS during vaginal vault brachytherapy. There was no significant difference in the dose to the rectum from the two methods of measurements.
Background: Quality control (QC) of computed tomography (CT) scanners is important to evaluate succinctly quality image and radiation dose obtainable in a clinical environment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of images generated by CT scanners used at some diagnostic facilities in Ibadan, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A cross sectional design was employed in this study, four centers were studied, one government hospital and three private hospitals. The head CT phantom was used to verify the accomplishment of the CT scanners performance to the international quality requirements. Regions of interest were selected at the center of the image and at the periphery to obtain results for the CT number for water test, uniformity test, noise, and artifact test. Results: The mean CT number for water across the centers ranged from –0.12 HU to –2.2 HU which were within ±3 HU recommended by the equipment manufacturer. Values of standard deviation of the mean CT number ranged from 2.41 to 5.77 HU which to a little extent exceeded the set ±5 HU tolerance range. Similarly, the presence of streak artifact was observed in the images obtained at one center. Conclusion: Two out of the four computed tomography scanners assessed passed the four tests performed. Noise and artifact were the problem observed at centers B and C respectively. There was however no likelihood of periodic performance of these basic quality control tests at two of the centers in this study. Adequate records of quality control data should be kept regularly to allow in-depth analysis of failure rates of different tests, changes occurring during equipment lifetime and comparisons among CT scanners.
Background: Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the world. This study assessed factors influencing uptake of PCa screening at a popular town in Iseyin, Oyo State.Methods: Relevant information was obtained from 376 participants using pre-tested semi-structured questionnaires. Respondents were selected through multistage sampling technique Statistical tests such as Chisquare, Fisher's exact test and Student's T-test were performed to duly analyse data obtained.Results: Participants' mean age was 50.2 + 8.0 years with a larger (58. 5 %) proportion of men aged 50 and below. Overall summarized scores on poor knowledge and negative attitude were 42.8 % and 44.7 % respectively. Specific knowledge regarding location of prostate, risk factors and symptoms was as low as 21.0%, 26.3% and 37.2%, respectively. Barely 27.9 %, 19.9 % and 16.2 % knew prostate specific antigen test, digital rectal examination and ultrasound as PC screening techniques respectively. Previous uptake of screening was very low being 16.0 %. Individuals with poor knowledge and those who are non-professionals are 3 times (Odds Ratio – 0.295) and 2 times (Odds Ratio – 0.524) respectively less likely to do PCa screening compared with their other counterpartsConclusion: The study showed considerable awareness of prostate cancer. However, comprehensive knowledge of its symptoms and the screening methods was greatly lacking. The need is therefore indicated for an aggressive health promotion intervention designed to increase awareness on PCa screening at the community level. Keywords: prostate cancer, uptake, screening methods
PurposeSource strength (Sk), sizes of vaginal cylinder applicators (VCA), number of dwell positions (DPs), and the prescribed dose (D) are basic parameters in brachytherapy (BT) treatment planning contributing to total dwell time (TDT). This study was aimed at assessing the relationships between the specified variables in an attempt to verify the TDT in high‐dose‐rate (HDR) vaginal cylinder applications.MethodsOne hundred and twenty‐one patients treated with Gynesource‐Co60 (Bebig, Germany) using VCAs of diameters 20, 25, and 30 mm at University College Hospital, Nigeria, were enrolled in this study. Brachytherapy doses ranging from 3 to 7 Gy were always prescribed to points 5 mm away from the cylinder's surface. Treatment planning was undertaken on HDR‐Basic treatment planning system (TPS) which utilizes source step size of 5 mm. Data on the stated parameters related to the first BT fractions of the patients were acquired. With the aid of EViews statistical software, two forms of mathematical models were thereafter developed. The resulting TDTs from the models were compared with the TPS values using Minitab statistical software.ResultsThe relationships obtained for the increasing sizes of the VCA were TDT1false(minfalse)=2.22+3.17DSk;TDT1false(minfalse)=3.52+3.74DSk;TDT1false(minfalse)=−1.96+6.91DSkandTDT2false(minfalse)=0.50−0.03Sk+0.02D+0.55DPs;TDT2false(minfalse)=7.08−0.06Sk+0.02D+0.67DPs;TDT2false(minfalse)=7.02−0.11Sk+0.03D+1.25DPs The model‐based TDTs correlate with the TPS‐calculated values with r1 = 0.80 (P = 0.412) and r2 = 0.97 (P = 0.468).ConclusionsThe findings of this study could suggest likely variations in the treatment time when certain changes occur in the related parameters. The increasing size of the vaginal cylinder has a positive influence on the brachytherapy treatment time. The latter model has been a useful tool in the verification of the dose delivery time at the first HDR brachytherapy center in Nigeria and West Africa.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.