Determinants of late-stage cervical cancer presentation in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION: Behind breast, colorectal, and lung cancers, cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer affecting females.

Despite, it is a preventable form of cancer both the incidence and mortality figures reflect it as a major reproductive health problem.

Late-stage cervical cancer diagnosis is associated with complicated clinical presentation which can result in short survival time and increased mortality.

Several factors contribute to the late-stage presentation of cervical cancer patients.

In Ethiopia nationally summarized evidence on the level and the factors contributing to late-stage cervical cancer diagnosis is scarce.

Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the pooled prevalence of late-stage cervical cancer diagnosis and its determinants in Ethiopia.

METHOD: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted using PRISMA guidelines.

Comprehensive literature was searched in PubMed, Embase, Google Scholar, and African Online Journal to retrieve eligible articles.

A weighted inverse variance random effect model was used to estimate pooled prevalence.

Cochrane Q-test and I(2) statistics were computed to assess heterogeneity among studies.

Funnel plot and Egger’s regression test were done to assess publication bias.

RESULT: Overall, 726 articles were retrieved and finally 10 articles were included in this review.

The pooled prevalence of late-stage cervical cancer diagnosis in Ethiopia was 60.45% (95%CI; 53.04%-67.85%).

Poor awareness about cervical cancer and its treatment (AOR = 1.55, 95% CI: (1.03 – 2.33, longer delay to seek care (AOR = 1.02, 95% CI: (1.01 – 1.03)) and rural residence (AOR = 2.07, 95% CI:( 1.56 – 2.75)) were significantly associated to late-stage diagnosis.

CONCLUSION: In Ethiopia, six in every ten cervical cancer cases are diagnosed at the late stage of the disease.

Poor awareness about cervical cancer and its treatment, long patient delay to seek care, and rural residence were positively associated with late–stage diagnosis.

Therefore intervention efforts should be made to improve public awareness about cervical cancer, minimize patient delay to seek care, and expand screening services specifically in the rural residing segment of the population to detect the disease early and improve survival.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12885-023-11728-y.