%0 Journal Article
%T Breast Cancer Profile in a Group of Patients Followed up at the Radiation Therapy Unit of the Yaounde General Hospital, Cameroon
%A J. D. Kemfang Ngowa
%A J. Yomi
%A J. M. Kasia
%A Y. Mawamba
%A A. C. Ekortarh
%A G. Vlastos
%J Obstetrics and Gynecology International
%D 2011
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2011/143506
%X Objective. To describe the profile of breast cancer in the patients attending the radiation therapy unit of Yaounde General Hospital. Method. From 1989 to 2009, we conducted a descriptive retrospective study based on the register and medical records of patients. Results. During the study period, 531 breast cancer patients were recorded of which 0.75% were male. Age range was 18 to 82 years, with a mean of 45.17 years. Out of these, 66.1% were less than 50 years old and 31.9% less than 40. Self detection was the discovery method in most cases (95.34% of patients). Mean delay before presentation at hospital was 10.35 months, and 54.94% had used traditional medicine before medical evaluation. Metastasis and locally advanced breast cancer at diagnosis were present in 08.13% and 62.78%, respectively. Mastectomy was used in 88.08% of patients. Conclusion. The study reinforces the position occupied by late presentation and advanced stage at diagnosis of breast cancer profile in developing countries. 1. Introduction Breast cancer is now the most frequent cancer of women worldwide with up to a million cases annually [1]. In Cameroon, according to the Globocan 2010 estimation, breast cancer is the most frequent cancer in women before the cervical cancer with an incidence rate of 27.9 per 100,000 [2]. Breast cancer is becoming an increasingly urgent problem in low-resource regions, where incidence rates have been increasing by up to 5% annually [3]. In Ibadan, Nigeria, the incidence of breast cancer increased, from 33.6 per 100,000 in 1992 to 116 per 100,000 in 2001 [4]. In Uganda, breast cancer incidence has doubled from 11 per 100,000 in 1961 to 22 per 100,000 in 1995 [5]. This increase in the incidence of breast cancer in African countries has been attributed to the adoption of westernized lifestyles; however, improvement in data collection and reporting may also be contributing factors [6, 7]. Breast cancers in African countries are typically characterized by a relatively advanced stage distribution which is at least partially explained by delayed presentation for medical evaluation, inadequate diagnosis by some inexperienced health providers leading to time lost, limited available medical technology for cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment [6, 8, 9]. This problem of delayed presentation is multifactorial in nature and varies from one region to the other. They range from religious belief, prolonged denial, lack of awareness, poor perceptions about breast cancer, and readily available and accessible herbal and spiritual treatment options [10¨C12]. This
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ogi/2011/143506/