Trends in clinical stage at presentation for four common adult cancers in ibadan, nigeria

Introduction Cancer outcome is largely determined by stage at diagnosis. We hypothesised that people living in Low- and Middle-Income Countries may be reaching diagnosis at an early stage, reflecting growth in awareness of the disease and its symptoms. We examined stage at diagnosis for four common cancers presenting at a referral centre in Nigeria. Methods A retrospective review of case-records from cases treated for four common cancers (colorectal, uterine cervix, breast and prostate) at University College Hospital, Ibadan over two epochs: 2012-2013 and 2017-2018. Results There is no evidence that cases were diagnosed at an earlier stage in the later epoch. Seventy-five percent of cases were diagnosed at late stage (III or IV) in the second epoch, vs seventy percent in the first epoch. Conclusion There is no evidence in the data that the problem of late presentation of common cancers is reducing in Oyo State, Nigeria. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. ### Funding Statement The study did not receive any funding. Richard Lilford was supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration West Midlands (ARC WM). Views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR, NHS, or the Department of Health and Social Care. ### Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: Ethics committee of the University of Ibadan and the University College Hospital Ethical Review Committee gave approval for this work (number UI/EC/19/0633). I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Yes All data produced in the present work are contained in the manuscript. Data used are held by the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.