Hematological malignancies in Cameroonian women with cancer attending a health facility: High prevalence and implications for follow up

Abstract

This study aimed at determining the prevalence of hematological malignancies in cancer patients and discussing about implications for follow-up. A five-month hospital-based cross sectional study was carried out in 2015 in the town of Douala, Cameroon. Personal data were documented and 4 mL of venous blood was collected for full blood count. A total of 172 women were enrolled and divided into three groups: 74 in the cervical cancer group (CCG), 69 in the breast cancer group (BCG) and 29 in the control group (CG). Radiotherapy associated with chemotherapy was the most used therapeutic option (> 50.0 %). The prevalence of hematological disorders was 86.5 %, 75.4 % and 51.7 % in CCG, BCG and CG respectively (χ 2 = 13.909; p-value < 0.0001). Anemia was the most observed disorder and accounted for more than 40 % of all disorders observed in the three groups. Cancer and its therapy have negatively affected each of the blood parameters analyzed (p-value < 0.05).Our findings suggest the need for cautious and adjusted follow-up of Cameroonian cancer patients through surrogate markers such as blood parameters in order to enhance their life expectancy.

Breast Cancer among Young Women in Douala, Cameroon: Epidemiological, Clinical, Behavioural Characteristics and Risk Factors

“…The bulk of cancer patients were aged 41-45 years old and this is consistent with findings from previous studies in the town of Yaoundé, Cameroon [14]. In contrast, our results are different from other reports in Cameroon and Morocco [15][16][17]. This discrepancy could be likely attributable to several factors such as study design and area.…”