Cancer Management and Research (Apr 2022)
Treatment Outcomes and Its Associated Factors Among Adult Patients with Selected Solid Malignancies at Kenyatta National Hospital: A Hospital-Based Prospective Cohort Study
Abstract
Amsalu Degu,1 Ermias Mergia Terefe,1 Eliab Seroney Some,1 Gobezie T Tegegne2 1Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmacy Practice, School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, United States International University-Africa, Nairobi, Kenya; 2Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaCorrespondence: Amsalu Degu, United States International University-Africa, School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Nairobi, Kenya, Tel +254745063687, Email [email protected]: The treatment outcome of cancer is poor in the African setting due to inadequate treatment and diagnostic facilities. However, there is a paucity of data on solid cancers in Kenya. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the treatment outcomes and its determinant factors among adult patients diagnosed with selected solid malignancies at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH).Materials and Methods: A prospective cohort study was employed at the Oncology Department of KNH from 1st July 2020 to 31st December 2021. All new patients with a confirmed diagnosis of lymphoma, prostate cancer and breast cancer were studied. A consecutive sample of 99 breast cancer, 50 lymphomas, and 82 prostate cancer patients was included in the study. Semi-structured questionnaires consisting of socio-demographics, clinical characteristics, and quality of life were employed to collect the data. All enrolled patients were followed prospectively for 12 months. Treatment outcomes were reported as mortality, cancer-specific survival and health-related quality of life. The data were entered and analyzed using the SPSS 20.0 statistical software. Survival outcomes and its predictors were evaluated using the Kaplan–Meier analysis and Cox regression analyses, respectively.Results: The study showed that the mortality rate among breast and prostate cancer patients was 3% and 4.9%, respectively. In contrast, the mortality rate was 10% among lymphoma patients. Most of the patients had partial remission and a good overall global health-related quality of life. Older age above 60 years, co-morbidity, distant metastasis and advanced stages of disease were significant predictors of mortality.Conclusion: Although the mortality was not high at 12 months, only a few patients had complete remission. For many patients, the disease was progressing, despite 12-month mortality was not high. Therefore, longer follow-up will be required to report cancer mortality accurately. In addition, most of the patients had a good overall global health-related quality of life.Keywords: treatment outcomes, health-related quality of life, solid malignancies, Kenyatta National Hospital
