Addis Ababa population-based pattern of cancer therapy, Ethiopia

Abstract

Cancer in Sub-Saharan Africa is becoming an important challenge for health services due to rising numbers of patients. In Addis Ababa with around 3.5 million inhabitants, more than 2000 cases are diagnosed annually. In this retrospective population-based cohort study we assessed completeness of and waiting time for cancer-therapy among patients registered in the Addis Ababa City Cancer Registry (AACCR), Ethiopia. Patient hospital files were retrieved to complete the data from AACCR. A total of 588 files were found (51% of those diagnosed from January to March 2012 and 2014). We analyzed completeness and waiting time of chemotherapy and radiotherapy; with completeness defined as ≥85% therapy received according to local guidelines. Analysis was done for the five most common cancer-types commonly treated with chemotherapy (breast, colorectal, non-Hodgkin`s lymphoma, lung and ovarian) and the four most common cancer-types commonly treated with radiotherapy (breast, cervical, head and neck and rectal). In our study, half of the patients (54.1%) received adequately dosed chemotherapy and 24.5% of patients received adequately dosed radiotherapy. The median waiting time was 2.1 months (Range: 0 to 20.72) for chemotherapy and 7 months (Range: 0.17 to 21.8) for radiotherapy. This study underscores the need for health system measures to improve cancer-directed therapy in Ethiopia, especially concerning radiotherapy.

<p>Assessment of Quality of Care Using Information on Patient Satisfaction at Adult Oncology Center of Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study</p>

“…This might also be a reason for the high treatment default rate in the center: among a cohort of 1149 patients, only 48.7% completed their treatment and only 25% of patients received adequate radiation therapy. 24 As a limitation, since self-reporting was used for the assessment of satisfaction, the present study was fully dependent on the patients' responses. In addition, the results may underestimate or overestimate patients' real satisfaction status.…”

“…Female study participants (beta coefficient: −3.66), patients treated from gynecological malignancy (beta coefficient: −2.33) and patients who were in the <6-month group since treatment started (beta coefficient: −0.91) were positively correlated for poor patient satisfaction. A possible explanation for this is that radiation treatment is a mainstay treatment option for patients treated for gynecological malignancy (cancer of the cervix is a common one in Ethiopia), 23,24 a cancer only affecting females. Therefore, the availability of only one functional radiotherapy machine might be diligent with their disease conditions and long waiting time for the treatment that hugely affecting patients' satisfaction for the provided health-care services.…”

<p>A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study on Awareness and Belief of People About Cancer in Southern Ethiopia: Special Focus on Breast and Cervical Cancers</p>

“…53,54 The result of the current study also showed that 10.8% of those who had children gave their first birth at the age of less than 18 years, which is also another risk factor for development of cervical cancer. 25 Strikingly, more than a third of study participants did not have awareness about sexually transmitted diseases. Among those who had awareness about sexually transmitted disease, only 31.9% of the respondents were found to have awareness about HIV.…”

“…[19][20][21][22][23][24] Therefore, more than 80% of cancer patients already suffer from advanced and incurable stages of the disease at the time of diagnosis and treatment. [22][23][24][25] This indicates that prevention and early detection will be the most affordable and effective ways to save lives and overcome the impact of cancer in the whole country. To our knowledge, the status of awareness and belief of people about cancer in Wolaita zone, in southern parts of Ethiopia, is not investigated properly.…”

Mucosa‐associated cultivable aerobic gut bacterial microbiota among colorectal cancer patients attending at the referral hospitals of Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia

“…Granting an increase in prevalence of colorectal cancer has been documented from developing countries [ 2 , 13 ], reports on gut microbiota in relation to colorectal cancer are not yet issued particularly in Ethiopia. Phenotypic, genotypic and toxin gene analyses of gut microbiota composition have not yet been done among colorectal cancer patients in the study area and in Ethiopia at large.…”