Implementation of Brachytherapy for Patients With Cervical Cancer in Ethiopia: A 3-Year Practice Report

PURPOSE: Although cervical cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in Ethiopia, brachytherapy (BT) was not a component in patient treatment until 2015. The purpose of this study was to identify the patterns of utilization as well as to describe the practice of BT in Ethiopia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective descriptive data analysis of 138 patients with cervical cancer treated with a curative potential using BT from 2015 to 2018 at Tikur Anbassa Specialized Hospital, which housed the only BT facility in Ethiopia during the study period. RESULTS: During the first 3-year period of BT service commencement, each year n = 37, n = 36, and n = 65 patients with cervical cancer were treated, respectively, with curative intention treatment. The median age of these 138 patients was 50 years (range, 22-75). All the patients were in International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage Ib–IIIb group, and stage IIb (66.4%) was the predominant. Majority (79%) of the patients were treated primarily with radiotherapy (RT), while 21% received RT after surgery. More than half of these patients (62%) received a total RT dose of 82 Gy in equivalent dose in 2 Gy fractions (EQD2), while the rest received a dose ranging from 76 to 86 Gy. Concurrent cisplatin with RT was given only for 36% of the patients for undocumented reasons. The overall treatment time including both external-beam RT and BT was greater than 8 weeks in 21% of the patients. CONCLUSION: The utilization of BT service increased gradually and BT enabled the delivery of a higher RT dose to patients with cervical cancer (mostly stage IIB). However, there was protracted treatment duration and low concurrent chemotherapy utilization.