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Botswana, a country with a high prevalence of HIV, has an increasing incidence of cancer-related mortality in the post–antiretroviral therapy era. Despite universal access to free health care, the majority of Botswana patients with cancer present at advanced stages. This study was designed to explore the factors related to advanced-stage cancer presentation in Botswana.

Patients attending an oncology clinic between December 2015 and January 2017 at Princess Marina Hospital in Gaborone, Botswana, completed a questionnaire on sociodemographic and clinical factors as well as cancer-related fears, attitudes, beliefs, and stigma. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated to identify factors significantly associated with advanced stage (stage III and IV) at diagnosis.

Of 214 patients, 18.7% were men and 81.3% were women. The median age at diagnosis was 46 years, with 71.9% of patients older …