Tuberculosis Diagnosis Delaying Treatment of Cancer: Experience From a New Oncology Unit in Blantyre, Malawi.

Purpose: Malawi is a low-income country in sub-Saharan Africa with limited health care infrastructure and high prevalance of HIV and tuberculosis. This study aims to determine the characteristics of patients presenting to Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital Oncology Unit, Blantyre, Malawi, who had been treated for tuberculosis before they were diagnosed with cancer.

Methods: Clinical data on all patients presenting to the oncology unit at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital from 2010 to 2014 after a prior diagnosis of tuberculosis were prospectively recorded, and a descriptive analysis was undertaken.