Cervical carcinoma in Nigeria — A need for early detection

Abstract

A retrospective review of 526 histologically confirmed cases of carcinoma of the cervix uteri seen at UCH Ibadan showed that the mean age was 51.8 years and over 64% of the patients had a parity of 6 or higher. Large cell non-keratinising squamous carcinoma was predominant and 51.8% of cases were late presenters (Stages III and IV). Patients presenting with Stage IV disease were nearly twice as many as those with Stage IB. These findings are compared with those of two previous ten-year reviews in this hospital. The cause and implications of late presentation are discussed and the need to shift emphasis from expensive but unrewarding palliative treatment to cost-effective preventive management, starting from the primary health care level, is underscored