Access to care and financial burden for patients with breast cancer in Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria
Document Type
Article
Department
Internal Medicine (East Africa)
Abstract
Background: Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed malignancy and the most common cause of cancer-related death in women in Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria. We evaluated healthcare resource use and financial burden for patients treated at tertiary cancer centers in these countries.
Methods: Records of breast cancer patients treated at the following government/private tertiary centers were included – Ghana: Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and Sweden Ghana Medical Centre; Kenya: Kenyatta National Hospital and Aga Khan University Hospital; Nigeria: National Hospital Abuja and Lakeshore Cancer Center. Patients presenting within a prespecified 2-year period were followed until death or loss to follow-up.
Results: The study included 299 patient records from Ghana, 314 from Kenya, and 249 from Nigeria. The use of common screening modalities (eg, mammogram, breast ultrasound) was < 45% in all 3 countries. Use of core needle biopsy was 76% in Kenya and Nigeria, but only 50% in Ghana. Across the 3 countries, 91-98% of patients completed blood count/chemistry, whereas only 78-88% completed tests for hormone receptor and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). Most patients underwent surgery: mastectomy (64-67%) or breast-conserving Most patients in Ghana and Nigeria (87-93%) paid for their diagnostic tests entirely out of pocket (OOP) compared with 30-32% in Kenya. Similar to diagnostic testing, the proportion of patients paying OOP only for treatments was high: 72-89% in Nigeria, 45-79% in Ghana, and 8-20% in Kenya. Among those receiving HER2-targeted therapy, average number of cycles was 5 for patients paying OOP only vs 14 for patients with some level of insurance coverage.
Conclusions: Patients treated in tertiary facilities in sub-Saharan African countries lack access to common imaging modalities and systemic therapies. Most patients in Ghana and Nigeria bore the full cost of their breast cancer care, suggestive of privileged financial status. Access to screening/diagnosis and appropriate care is likely to be substantively lower for the general population.
Publication (Name of Journal)
Journal of Clinical Oncology
Recommended Citation
Twahir, M.,
Oyesegun, R. A.,
Yarney, J.,
Gachii, A.,
Edusa, C.,
Nwogu, C.,
Mangutha, G.,
Anderson, P.,
Benjamin, E.,
Müller, B.,
Ngoh, C.
(2019). Access to care and financial burden for patients with breast cancer in Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 37(15), 6562-6562.
Available at:
https://ecommons.aku.edu/eastafrica_fhs_mc_intern_med/131