Abstract
<title>Abstract</title> <p> BACKGROUND Rwanda is focused on rapidly expanding its cervical cancer screening program. With increased screening and treatment, Rwanda will need to ensure that it has a robust support system in place for those diagnosed. This includes not only physical structures, but the social ones as well. The goal of this study is to understand who provides social support to women undergoing cervical cancer treatment and to report the characteristics of the women undergoing cervical cancer treatment who lack social support. METHODS This cross-sectional analysis recruited participants from April to December 2025 using convenience sampling at the University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (CHUK) and the Rwanda Military Hospital (RMH). Participants were eligible if they (i) were ≥18 years; (ii) were being treated for cervical cancer at CHUK or RMH; and (iii) could provide informed consent in English or Kinyarwanda. Each participant completed an 82-question survey. Descriptive statistics were reported. RESULTS In all, 238 women undergoing cervical cancer treatment participated in the study. Most women were recruited from RMH, were aged 56-65, and had been widowed. When asked who accompanied them to the clinic that day, the majority of women said no one (n=133, 55.9%) followed by their adult daughter (n=56, 23.5%) <bold>.</bold> Similarly, when asked who their primary caregiver was, 37.8% of women said no one (n=90), and 24.4% said their adult daughter (n=58). The most commonly reported activities women missed while at the clinic were cooking, cleaning, and buying food. Women who did not have anyone accompanying them to the clinic that day were more likely to be younger in age, be from a poorer socio-economic status, and have a child under the age of 19. CONCLUSION We found that most women in Rwanda lack social support during their cervical cancer treatment. When social support is present, it is most often provided by adult daughters. Future research should explore the specific ways that women can be better supported during their cervical cancer treatment. </p>