completeness of treatment courses, duration of hospital stay and mortality. The reproducibility of the methodology was reappraised at the Federal Medical Center. Kruskal-Wallis analysis was used, and an alpha error of ! 0.05 at a CI of 95% was taken to be significant. Results: A total of 112 cases of MMST were managed during the study period. Seventy-one (63.4%; 37 WGHFA; 34 WGHFB) met the inclusion criteria. Age, sex, tribe, religion, comorbid factors and mean weekly income were not

more »

... factors influencing improved MMST care among the WGHFB patients. 32 WGHFB versus 7 WGHFA patients accepted the treatment plan. The mean duration of hospital stay before surgery (p ! 0.001), discharge against medical advice (p ! 0.000), limb salvage (21 vs. 2, p ! 0.001), limb amputation (3 vs. 12, p ! 0.05, 95% CI 8.3-37.9), completeness of treatment (33 vs. 7, p ! 0.05), mean duration of hospital stay, in days (23 vs. 39, p ! 0.05) and mortality at 1-year follow-up (13 vs. 28, p ! 0.02) were significant. Conclusion: The cost of cancer care is a challenge for patients with MMST in a resource-constrained country such as Nigeria. Direct integration of the government and family into MMST care will serve as a link between the cancer patient and the source of funds. It raises the possibility of an effective psychosocial approach to improve patient outcome through enhanced treatment acceptability and completion, and so reduce morbidity and short-term mortality. Abstract Background: Malignant musculoskeletal tumor (MMST) outcome reflects the level of supportive care provided. In Nigeria, the supportive care available to patients with MMST is limited by a lack of funding. Patients often present late, and