TITLE:
Female Fertility Following Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer: A Descriptive Study of 265 Cases Treated in Yaounde
AUTHORS:
Félix Essiben, Ngowa Jean Dupont Kemfang, Aline Nganso, Meka Juliette Esther Ngo Um, Etienne Atenguena, Samuel Ojong, Paul Ndom, Emile Telesphore Mboudou
KEYWORDS:
Chemotherapy, Fertility, Women of Childbearing Age, Breast Cancer, Yaounde
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology,
Vol.10 No.1,
January
13,
2020
ABSTRACT: Context: In Cameroon, breast cancer (BC) is usually diagnosed late in the disease
course. About a third of women affected are aged less than 40 years.
Chemotherapy (CT) could alter ovarian function and thereby compromise future
fertility in these women. We therefore described the fertility of women
following CT for BC in women treated at the Yaounde General Hospital (YGH). Methods: It was a retrospective, descriptive, cross-sectional study conducted over
8 months, from January to August 2017. We used the files of patients
managed for BC from January 2011 to December 2015 in the medical oncology unit
of the YGH. Results: We
included 265 patients for the study following at least one year of CT. The mean
age at the onset of CT was 35.9 ± 6.9 years.
Most of the patients had fewer than 2 deliveries (68.3%). Intraductal carcinoma
was the most frequent histological lesion (90.6%) and most often diagnosed in
advanced stages (73.5%). As per CT, the FAC protocol was the most used (44.5%).
The menstrual cycles of the patients were more regular prior to the onset of
chemotherapy (89.4% vs. 58.9%), while the mean period of resumption of
menstrual activity following cessation of chemotherapy was 6.3 ± 2.0
months. Chemotherapy-related amenorrhoea was observed in 29.1% of patients
after 12 months of treatment. More than half of these women (51.3%) complained of a drop in libido and 6.4% achieved
pregnancy within 13 months following cessation of chemotherapy. Conclusion: Following chemotherapy for BC, menstrual cycle
disorders are more frequent and this can affect the patients’ reproductive
potential. Fertility consultations should be integrated into the management
plan of such patients.