Factors Influencing Receipt of Radiation Treatment in Women with Carcinoma of the Cervix in Ghana

Authors

  • K. Amo-Antwi
  • Y. Nartey
  • K.M. Nyarko
  • P.C. Hill
  • B. Cox
  • J. Yarney

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.60014/pmjg.v11i1.279

Keywords:

Ghana, Gynaecologic Oncology, Radiation treatment, Treatment Default, Cervical cancer

Abstract

Objective: We evaluated the influence of demographic and clinical features on access to radiotherapy among women with cervical cancer.
Methodology: A cross-sectional analytical study design was used to review hospital records of women diagnosed with cervical cancer from 1st January 2010 and 31st December 2013 at Ghana’s two largest public cancer treatment centres. Basic demographic and
clinical data were captured from the records. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the odds of receiving radiotherapy in women with carcinoma of the cervix.
Results: One thousand seven hundred twenty-five (1725) women with cervical cancer were studied, of which 955 (57.7%) women received radiotherapy. The likelihood of receiving radiotherapy increased with increasing age (OR: 2.2; 95% confidence interval, CI,
1.5-3.1, 70-79, versus ≤39 years. The indigenous semiurban dwellers (unadjusted OR: 2.4; 95% CI: 1.6-3.5), and foreign nationals (unadjusted OR: 4.1; 95% CI: 2.5- 6.9), were more likely to receive radiation treatment relative to those who resided in the metropolis. Women with three or more comorbidities (unadjusted OR: 0.2; 95% CI: 0.1-0.5), those recruited at the gynaecology unit (unadjusted OR: 0.01; 95% CI: 0.002- 0.01) and subjects with no histological diagnosis (unadjusted OR: 0.004; 95% CI: 0.002-0.01) were likely not to receive radiation treatment. After controlling for other variables, recruitment from the gynaecologic units was significantly associated with a probability of receiving radiation treatment (Adjusted OR: 0.1; 95% CI: 0.01- 0.3).
Conclusion: Women diagnosed with cervical cancer at the gynaecologic departments were less likely to access radiation treatment.

Author Biographies

K. Amo-Antwi

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine & Dentistry, Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana

Y. Nartey

Division of Epidemiology and Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, United Kingdom

K.M. Nyarko

Disease Control and Prevention Department, Ghana Health Service, Accra, Ghana

P.C. Hill

Centre for International Health, Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Dunedin School of
Medicine, University of Otago, New Zealand

B. Cox

Centre for International Health, Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Dunedin School of
Medicine, University of Otago, New Zealand

J. Yarney

National Centre for Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana

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Published

2022-07-12

How to Cite

Amo-Antwi, K., Nartey, Y., Nyarko, K., Hill, P., Cox, B., & Yarney, J. (2022). Factors Influencing Receipt of Radiation Treatment in Women with Carcinoma of the Cervix in Ghana. Postgraduate Medical Journal of Ghana, 11(1), 56–62. https://doi.org/10.60014/pmjg.v11i1.279

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