Survival rate of cervical cancer: A five year review at the National Radiotherapy Centre, Korle-Bu  Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana

Opoku S Y, Kyei K A, Koranteng I and Donkor A

Survival rate of cervical cancer: A five year review at the National Radiotherapy Centre, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana

Opoku S Y, Kyei K A, Koranteng I and Donkor A

University of Ghana, Ghana Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Ghana

: J Diagn Tech Biomed Anal

Abstract

Background: Cervical cancer is a malignant neoplasm arising from cells originating in the cervix uteri. Unlike most cancers, cervical cancer has a central causal factor, which is the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). The Papanicoloau (Pap) screening test is currently the most widely used diagnostic and screening tool in detecting the presence of cervical cancer. Aim: The study aimed at investigating the five Ã¢Â€Â“ year survival rate of cervical cancer patients treated at the Radiotherapy Center, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana. Methods: A quantitative retrospective cohort design was used which involved reviewing 100 medical records of cervical cancer patients who received radiotherapy between 2007 and 2008 at the Radiotherapy center. Ethical approval was sought from the Ethics and Protocol Review Committee of School of Biomedical and Allied Health Sciences, University of Ghana Follow-up contacts were made to the patients to collect the data for the study. Where patients were not alive, their next of kin were interviewed. Descriptive statistics was used to determine frequencies and percentages of tumour stage, age and other factors and their effect on the overall survival rates of patients. Results: The five-year survival rate of 41% was observed for all the patients. However, patients who received radical radiotherapy had a higher survival rate of 86.7%. Conclusion: The age of the patients, the tumor stage, and the type of treatment used influenced the survival rate of patients.