Sociodemographic and clinical profile of cervical cancer patients in a tertiary hospital in Nueva Ecija, Philippines from January 2020 to December 2022: A retrospective cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer is a rampant but preventable malignancy in the Philippines. Hence, this study will help in the identification of women who need thorough screening and surveillance. Subsequently, this will promote better clinical outcomes and improve the survival of women potentially at risk for cervical cancer. OBJECTIVES: Determine the prevalence, sociodemographic and clinical profile of cervical cancer seen at a tertiary hospital in Nueva Ecija, Philippines. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective, descriptive cross-sectional study, which involved 199 records of cervical cancer patients in a tertiary hospital in Nueva Ecija, Philippines, from January 2020 to December 2022. RESULTS: Most patients were >40 years old (75.38%) with a mean of 48.38, had a parity of <7 (92.96%) with a mean of 3.73. They were mostly residing in rural areas (83.42%), married (63.32%), college undergraduate (74.87%), and nonsmokers (84%). The majority (89.45%) had sexual partners of <6 with a mean of 2.578, 89.45% had their coitarche at <16 with a mean age of 18.17, 59.8% did not use combined oral contraceptive pills. Only 21.61% of patients had a history of cervical cancer screening, while almost all (99.5%) had no history of HPV vaccination. In terms of clinical profile, 62.31% had a histologic diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma, 51.26% had stage III, and 59.8% had prior treatment. The majority (66.33%) had no other co-morbidities. However, if present, hypertension was the most common (15.58%). CONCLUSION: Cervical cancer is commonly diagnosed at an advanced age, married, college undergraduate, with a parity of 3–4, those who had coitarche at more than 16, with sexual partners of <6. No exposure to any screening method, and HPV vaccinations are prone to such malignancy as well. Furthermore, cervical cancer is frequently identified when already in advanced stages with a histologic type of squamous cell.