Cervical cancer in Rwanda: Why do women consult in late stages?

Introduction: Cervical cancer remains among the most common and a serious cause of cancer-related mortality across the world. Many patients consult in late stages and this account to numerous reasons. We report here the reasons as found in a teaching hospital in Kigali, Rwanda.
Methods: Observational, cross sectional study consisting of a one-onone interview to patients in a follow up clinic for a time period of 8 months at the Kigali University Teaching Hospital.
Results: Twenty fie (25) patients were interviewed between May and December 2012. Most women (68%) were found to be above 35 years of age, and a considerable number (n=9) came from the Eastern Province of the country. Over two-thirds of the patients (68%) reported to have had their fist sexual intercourse below the age 20 years, yet a few consented a positive cigarette smoking history. About a tenth (12%) of the patients confimed knowing the typical fist signs of cervical cancer, and nearly a half (52%) of patients gave an indolent/painless course of disease as the main reason of delay to seek treatment.
Conclusion: Integrated methods of sensitization and screening campaigns are highly needed. Further studies measuring the impact of these methods are necessary to know the impact on early detection and better management.