TITLE:
Diagnostic and Therapeutic Options of Breast Cancer Patients in Yaounde, Cameroon
AUTHORS:
Jean Dupont Kemfang Ngowa, Hortense Jeanne Fouedjio, Annaïk Morelle Tchami, Julienne Louise Ngo Likeng, Christelle Domngang Noche, Brigitte Wandji Djouonang, Florent Fouelifack Ymele, Pascal Foumane, Emile Telesphore Mboudou, Pierre Marie Tebeu
KEYWORDS:
Breast Cancer, Traditional Medicine, Therapeutic Abstention, Naturopathy, Contemporary Medicine
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Breast Cancer Research,
Vol.11 No.1,
January
25,
2022
ABSTRACT: Introduction: Breast cancer remains a public health problem due to its severity and because it is the leading cause of death
from cancers in women worldwide as well as in Cameroon. Our objective was to study the
diagnostic and therapeutic options that
patients followed for breast cancer choose in Yaounde. Method: This was an analytical cross-sectional study with prospective data collection
among patients followed for breast cancer at two referral hospitals in Yaounde from
February 1, 2019 to August 31, 2019. Data collected were recorded and analyzed
using R application version 3.5.0., p values
ere considered to be statistically significant. Results: A total of
105 patients were recruited, including 104
women and 1 man. The median age was 46 years with extremes of 25 and 77
years. Most patients (71%) had a monthly income of less than 175 USD. Patients in this study had opted
for: contemporary medicine
(49.5%), therapeutic abstention (38.1%), naturopathy (1.9%), self-medication (9.5%) and traditional
medicine (1%). The factors significantly associated with the choice of contemporary medicine as a first diagnostic
option were monthly income above 175 USD (OR = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.15 -
0.89, p = 0.028), good level of education (OR = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.16 - 0.82, p =
0.034) and good knowledge about breast cancer
(OR = 0.28, 95% CI: 0.08 - 0.89, p = 0.005).
The majority of patients (65.7%) sought contemporary medicine as the first therapeutic option after a diagnosis of breast
cancer was confirmed, while about a third of them had chosen alternative treatment options including naturopathy (15.2%), traditional medicine (9.5%),
religious practices (4.8%), therapeutic
abstention (2.9%) and self-medication (1.9%). Conclusion: The first
diagnostic and therapeutic choices of breast cancer patients in our setting are numerous and intricate,
including contemporary medicine, therapeutic abstention, self-medication, traditional medicine, naturopathy and
religious practices. There is a need to promote breast cancer awareness
in our population.