A Four- Year Survival Outcome of Ovarian Cancer Patients at Tikur Ambessa Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
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Date
2026
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Addis Ababa Uinverstiy
Abstract
Introduction: Ovarian cancer poses a major public health issue in Ethiopia, yet its
clinical characteristics within the local population are not well-studied. Thus, it is
important to understand the ovarian cancer clinical features and survival outcomes in
Ethiopia to get crucial insights into the disease's progression. It also helps to guide
targeted interventions for early disease detection, treatment, and patient care strategies.
Objective of the study: To investigate the survival outcomes of ovarian cancer patients
in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Methodology: Retrospective cohort study was done on consecutive patients treated for
ovarian cancer from 2020-2023 in TASH. A demographic and clinical information were
collected using structured questionnaire. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were generated
to assess survival outcomes, and Cox proportional hazards regression was used to
identify prognostic factors associated with survival.
Result: The ovarian cancer median age of diagnosis was 45 yrs (with IQR of 38 - 55yrs)
and ranging from 14 to 80 yrs. The median duration of symptoms was 3 months (with
IQR of 2-6 month). The histologic distribution shows epithelial tumors of 80.7%
including borderline tumors 6.4%, GCT 5.5% and SCST 11%.
The median OS for epithelial ovarian cancer was 36.6 months. The first, second- and
third-year epithelial ovarian cancer over-all survival was 85.8%, 67.3% and 47.5%
respectively. The progression free survivals (PFS) at 1st and 2nd year were 67.8% and
39.6% respectively with median progression free survival of 24.5 months. In cox
proportional hazard regression, presence of residual disease (HR = 3.19; 95% CI:
[1.22-8.34]; p = 0.018) and those patients treated with only chemotherapy as primary
treatment (HR = 4.48; 95% CI: [1.80-11.13]; p = 0.001) were statistically associated
with overall survival. Patients treated with interval debulking surgery were associated
with shorter progression free interval as compared to PDS (HR= 2.11; 95% CI: [1.06-
4.21]; p = 0.033).
Conclusion: Collectively, these findings illustrate both strengths and critical gaps in
ovarian cancer care delivery. The high primary surgical rate is a positive indicator of
institutional capacity, yet frequent distant recurrences, and very limited secondary
surgical intervention point to opportunities for improvement.
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Keywords
Ovarian cancer, Survival, Ethiopia