e18106 Background: In low middle-income countries (LMICs), cancer patients present in later stages of disease for many reasons, including missed diagnoses. Due to high patient: physician ratios, generalists are taught broadly and prepared to treat diseases outside the scope of their interest in training. The delivery of high-quality cancer care requires an interdisciplinary team of physicians with excellent medical school training in oncology. To date, there has been no formal assessment of medical education for oncology in Nigeria. This study aims to assess the ability of the curriculum in Nigeria to prepare future doctors tasked with treating a growing number of patients with cancer. Methods: An anonymous survey was administered to final year medical students at Lagos State University and University of Ibadan, Nigeria. The survey assessed demographics, reports of experience during medical school with oncology, comfort ratings with different aspects of oncologic care (Likert scale, 1 = not at all, 5 = extremely), and included five clinical vignettes. Results: 146 graduating students in two medical schools responded (response rate = 36.6%). Twelve percent of students indicated that they planned to pursue a career in oncology. The majority of students reported exposure through lectures to medical oncology (85%), radiation oncology (82%), and surgical oncology (85%), but fewer reported exposure to lectures in hospice care (75%) and cancer survivorship care (52%). Most students (87%) have not attended a tumor board during medical school. In clinical vignettes, students performed worst on long-term chemotherapy toxicities, and best on surgical oncology risk. Overall, students indicated being “moderately comfortable” with topics in medical, radiation, surgical, and palliative care on a Likert scale, and “somewhat comfortable” with survivorship care. Conclusions: Although students in Nigeria report learning about disciplines in oncology care, they report varying comfort levels with specific oncology topics by the end of medical school. The results of this pilot study support the need to develop an interdisciplinary oncology curriculum in Nigeria.
