Demographic pattern of cervical cancer patients seen in a radiotherapy treatment facility in Northern Nigeria

Abstract

Purpose Cervical cancer is the commonest malignancy in females in Northern Nigeria (Oguntayo et al. in Ecancer medicalscience 5:219, 2011. doi:10.3332/ecancer.2011. 219). It is therefore important to identify the demographic patterns of the population most frequently affected in order to direct any preventive or interventional activities appropriately. Methods Patients were recruited serially as they presented to the Radiotherapy department of Ahmadu Bello Univer sity Teaching Hospital, Shika, Zaria, to reach the calcu lated sample size. The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences 20.0 and are presented here in tables and graphs. Results A total of 73 patients participated in the study, and filled questionnaires were used in the collation of data. Majority of the patients seen were still within the repro ductive age group 40–49 years. The mean age at presen tation was 51 years, and a modal age of 40 years. The minimum age at presentation was 26 years and maximum age was 76 years. 37% of respondents were Hausa, 4.1% Yoruba, 6.8% Ibo and 52% for others comprising Tiv, Idoma, Urhobo, Igala and other minor tribes. 74% of the respondents were married, 4.1% divorced and 21.9% widowed. 28% had only primary education, 26% had no form of education at all, 16.4% had Qur’anic education and only 11% had attained tertiary education level. Most of them were unemployed housewives (54.8%). More than half, 53.4% earned less than 200 naira a day. Conclusion Most patients are within the age bracket 40–49 years; they are mostly Hausa, married, housewives with minimal education and within the low socioeconomic class. This result points to a need to adopt a strategy of public education, enlightenment and screening programs that will capture the language barrier that exists as a result of poor education and the generally prevailing culture of being housewives which directly influences the health seeking behavior of women in Northern Nigeria