RESEARCH ARTICLE


Initial Clinical Presentation of Cervical Cancer Patients at Pietersburg Hospital, South Africa (2012-2014): A Retrospective Descriptive Study



Edna Maite Mohuba1, Tebogo Maria Mothiba2, *, Livhuwani Muthelo3
1 Department of Pharmacy, University of Limpopo, Private Bag X1106 SOVENGA 0727 Polokwane, South Africa
2 Faculty of Health Sciences Executive Dean’s Office, University of Limpopo, Private Bag X1106 SOVENGA 0727 Polokwane, South Africa
3 Department of Nursing Science, University of Limpopo, Private Bag X1106 SOVENGA 0727 Polokwane, South Africa


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Creative Commons License
© 2019 Mohuba et al.

open-access license: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0), a copy of which is available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

* Address correspondence to this author at the Department of Nursing Science, University of Limpopo, Private Bag X1106, Sovenga, Polokwane, South Africa; Tel: 015 268 2384; Email: tebogo.mothiba@ul.ac.za


Abstract

Background:

Cervical cancer, compared to other types of cancers, is a leading cause of death for women; and is a serious public health problem in both developed and developing countries.

Objective:

The aim of the study was to determine the initial clinical presentation of cervical cancer patients at the Pietersburg Hospital, Limpopo Province in South Africa.

Methods:

This was a quantitative, retrospective study conducted to examine the records of cervical cancer patients from January 2012 to December 2014 at the Pietersburg hospital.

Results:

The results indicated that most patients, particularly the elderly, presented for the first time at the hospital with advanced stages of cervical cancer. Factors, such as age and place of residence contributed to late presentation. Most patients with advanced stage cervical cancer were from Sekhukhune and Vhembe Districts.

Conclusion:

There is a need for improved data capturing of information about marital status and parity to further assess the influence these variables might have on the clinical presentation of cervical cancer. Furthermore, availability and facilities for screening should be improved because early detection of cervical cancer prevents progression to advanced stage of the disease. More awareness campaigns about risk factors of cervical cancer should be implemented.

Keywords: Cervical cancer, Clinical presentation, Early detection, Patients, HPV viral infection, HPV vaccine.