ArticleThe oncologist2025
Determinants of chemotherapy abandonment in Ethiopia: a nested case-control study.
Article in The oncologist, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 1 paper.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Diagnosis, care pathways, and Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) use among digestive cancer patients in Benin: a qualitative study.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundBreast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths in women worldwide. Systemic treatment can improve survival considerably. Breast cancer patients in many African countries face challenges during treatment and often abandon the recommended cycles of chemotherapy. Therefore, this study aims to describe the magnitude of abandonment and its determinants at 4 tertiary hospitals in Ethiopia.
methodsAn institution-based, nested case-control study was conducted. Initially, a cohort of patients with histologically diagnosed stage I-III breast cancer from 2019 to 2020 were reviewed. Then, a total of 400 patients (200 cases and 200 controls) were selected by simple random sampling from the medical log book. The data was collected from patients' charts and with a structured telephone interview-based questionnaire. The bivariate and multivariable logistic regression models were used to find the independent determinants.
resultsOut of 1740 patients, 329 (18.9%) abandoned chemotherapy. The identified determinants for chemotherapy abandonment were stage III versus stage I/II adjusted odds ratio (AOR = 2.2, confidence interval (CI): 1.2-3.7), more financial constraints (AOR = 2.1, CI: 1.1-3.8), self-assertion of being healthy (AOR = 3.4, CI: 1.2-9.7), more expectations about side effects (AOR = 8.4, CI: 1.6-44.3), more intolerability of side effects (AOR = 2.0, CI: 1.2-3.5), initiating chemotherapy during COVID 19 (AOR = 3.0, CI: 1.7-5.2), and more fear of dependence on therapy (AOR = 7.8, CI: 4.4-13.9).
conclusionNearly one-fifth of patients who started chemotherapy eventually abandoned their treatment. This means that patients experienced physical and financial toxicity as well as the efforts of health workers, but no treatment benefit. To avoid this, physicians need to closely follow the patients and explain the need to complete all chemotherapy cycles and treat side effects to avoid treatment abandonment with impaired survival. Additionally, attention must be paid to improving patient follow-up care during pandemics like COVID-19 and subsidizing therapy to ensure accessibility. Moreover, attention should be given to improving the subsidization of therapy and ensuring accessibility.
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