Author(s)

Berthe Sabine Esson Mapoko^1*, Anne Marthe Maison Mayeh², Ruth Rosine Meka’h Mapenya¹, Orel Kelvin Ndouandju Saha¹, Esther Dina Bell², Etienne Atenguena Okobalemba¹, Anne Sango³, Romeo Talla¹, Ambroise Ntama², Sidonie Ananga², Albertine Eloundou², Martin Essomba Biwole², Odette Samba Ngano⁴, Albert Mouelle Sone³, Emilienne Guegang Goudjo¹

¹Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
²Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Douala, Douala, Cameroon.
³Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon.
⁴Faculty of Science, University of Dschang, Dschang, Cameroon.

Background: Radiotherapy is one of the main therapeutic strategies used in cervical cancer. The first radiotherapy services in Cameroon have existed since 1987 and still treat by conventional radiation techniques. With the evolution of radiation techniques, acute, subacute, and late complications are minimized. Our study aimed to describe the profile of side effects in patients with uterine cervix cancer treated by conventional radiotherapy, still used in our services. Methods: This was a retrospective and descriptive study of the records of patients treated in the radiotherapy department of the Douala General Hospital from January 2015 to December 2019. Data concerning radiation-induced toxicities were collected using the CTCAE Version 4.0 classification. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 20.0. Results: A total of 270 records were selected. The median age was 54 years. The mean total radiation dose was 55.9 ± 11.8 Gy and 71.1% of patients were treated for less than 8 weeks. We found a frequency of 66.7% of radio-induced lesions with 99% being acute. The main acute lesions encountered were radio dermatitis (40%), radiation cystitis (17.7%), and radiation proctitis (17.1%). As late lesions, we found one case of vaginal fibrosis (0.4%). Exclusive radiotherapy, classical fractionation, and total doses lower than 45 Gy seemed to decrease the toxicity linked to conventional radiotherapy. Conclusion: The frequency of side effects of radiotherapy for cervical cancer at the Douala General Hospital remains high. Early lesions are the most encountered but strategies should be put in place to better evaluate late lesions.

Cervical Cancer, Radiotherapy, Radiation-Induced Lesions, Cameroon

Mapoko, B. , Mayeh, A. , Mapenya, R. , Saha, O. , Bell, E. , Okobalemba, E. , Sango, A. , Talla, R. , Ntama, A. , Ananga, S. , Eloundou, A. , Biwole, M. , Ngano, O. , Sone, A. and Goudjo, E. (2023) Profile of Radiotherapy Side Effects in Patients Treated for Cervical Cancer in Cameroon: Case of the Douala General Hospital. Journal of Cancer Therapy, 14, 59-71. doi: 10.4236/jct.2023.141006.