Introduction Cervical cancer is a significant public health issue in Ghana. Most cases of the disease are diagnosed at an advanced stage where radiotherapy treatment will be required. We evaluated how demographic and clinical features of women with invasive cervical cancer influenced the receipt of radiotherapy in two large referral hospitals in Ghana.

Methods We conducted a retrospective study of 1,725 women diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer between 1^stJanuary 2010 and 31^st December 2013. Multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate the odds of receiving radiotherapy by patient demographic and clinical features associated with financial barriers to care.

Results Women who lived in other African countries but receiving treatment at one of the two centers in Ghana were more likely to receive radiotherapy compared with women who lived in a metropolis in Ghana (unadjusted OR: 4.1; 95% CI: 2.5–6.9). Additionally, women living in a semi-urban region of residence were more likely to receive radiotherapy compared with those living in a metropolis (unadjusted OR: 2.4; 95% CI: 1.6–3.5). Women less likely to receive radiotherapy tended to have three or more comorbidities (unadjusted OR: 0.2; 95% CI: 0.1–0.5), be recruited at the gynecology unit (unadjusted OR: 0.01; 95% CI: 0.002–0.01) and not have cancer histologically confirmed (unadjusted OR: 0.004; 95% CI: 0.002–0.01).

Conclusion/Implications Conclusion: Women from other African countries may be fee-paying for radiotherapy treatment as opposed to being refugees. There are opportunities to improve the outcome for women with cervical cancer in Ghana by reducing financial barriers to access for radiation therapy.