The Prevalence and Factors Related to Late-Stage Among Cervical Cancer Patients in Southeast Asian countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background Cervical cancer is a significant public health problem in Southeast Asia, where it ranks seventh in incidence and sixth in mortality in 2020. However, there is a lack of epidemiological data on cervical cancer characteristics in this population. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of late-stage cervical cancer and associated factors. Methods A systematic search was conducted across databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, Web of Science, and through manual searches on Google Scholar and Academic Search Ultimate via EBSCOhost. Furthermore, reference lists of relevant studies were examined. The search encompassed the inception of these databases from May to June 2023. Statistical analysis employed random or fixed effects models to summarize the prevalence of late-stage cervical cancer patients and assess heterogeneity. The odds ratio was used to determine the correlation between late-stage presentation and associated factors. Results The meta-analysis incorporated 17 studies involving a total of 10,502 participants, revealing a pooled prevalence of late-stage cervical cancer patients of 53.36% (95% CI 36.02–69.93) utilizing a random-effects model, which exhibited high heterogeneity. Geographically, the research predominantly focused on Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia. The prevalence of late-stage cervical cancer demonstrated a wide-ranging spectrum, spanning from 5.26 to 95.40%. Furthermore, the analysis stratified the late-stage prevalence based on different collecting periods, with rates of 67.67% before 2015, 37.23% between 2015 and 2020, and 57.11% after 2020. Notably, marital status emerged as a significant determinant of late-stage presentation (OR: 1.02, 95% CI 1.01–1.03, p = 0.02 ). Finally, no evidence of publication bias was observed. Conclusion This meta-analysis underscores a substantial proportion of cervical cancer cases being diagnosed at an advanced stage in Southeast Asia. The findings provide valuable insights and impetus for the development of strategies that prioritize primary prevention and early diagnosis, aligning with the eradication goals outlined by the World Health Organization.