Circulating serum C- reactive protein: a prognostic marker in naive patients with cancer at the Yaounde General Hospital

In Cameroon, the main determinant of cancer mortality is the advanced stage at the time of diagnosis. The purpose of this work is to determine the relationship between C-reactive Protein (CRP) concentration and advanced cancer stage. This is a cross-sectional study conducted at Yaoundé General Hospital. 276 naive patients with histological evidence of cancer were included in this study. Serum CRP level was correlated with the specific characteristics of the tumor. The study population was made of 74% women and 26% men with a minimum age of 22 years and a maximum age of 80 with an average age of 46 years. The cancer type with the highest prevalence was breast cancer (43.5%), followed by Kaposi's sarcoma (8.7%), Non Hodgkin Lymphoma (8.7%), CRP values were Classified into two groups based on pathological values (CRP≥ 6 mg/l) and non-pathological values (CRP <6 mg/l). The elevated CRP concentration was not significantly associated with the presence of metastasis M (P = 0.074), T-cancer stage (P = 0.09), N-lymph nodes (P = 0.111), advanced histological grade G-3 (P = 0.115) and cancer type (P = 0.124). Our study shows that elevated serum CRP is not a marker of cancer extension

Épidémiologie descriptive et prise en charge du cancer colorectal au Cameroun. Série rétrospective de 103 cas à l’Hôpital Général de Yaoundé

Introduction : Les données sur l’épidémiologie descriptive et les modalités thérapeutiques du cancer colorectal demeurent insuffisantes dans notre contexte. Méthodologie : Nous avons conduit une étude observationnelle descriptive avec recueil rétrospectif de données dans le service d’oncologie de l’hôpital Général de Yaoundé. Tous les dossiers de patients suivis pour un cancer colorectal du 1er Janvier 2015 au 31 Décembre 2019 et dont le devenir était connu jusqu’au 31 Décembre 2020, ont été inclus.. Résultats : Nous avons colligé 103 patients parmi lesquels 60 (5782%) étaient de sexe masculin. L’âge moyen était de 40,9±16,6 ans. Un antécédent familial de cancer colorectal était retrouvé chez 16,5% des patients. Le délai de consultation était de 12±6,4 mois. Le colon gauche était la localisation tumorale la plus fréquente (30,1%) et il s’agissait le plus souvent d’un adénocarcinome Liberkühnien (46,6%). Les tumeurs étaient majoritairement au stade TNM 4 (39,8%) et 3 (25,2%) au moment du diagnostic. Le traitement a eu un but curatif dans 60,2% des cas ; il s’agissait de la chirurgie associée à une chimiothérapie néoadjuvante et adjuvante dans 59,7% et 64,5% des cas, respectivement. Aucun patient n’a reçu de radiothérapie. La survie à 5 ans était de 15,5%. Conclusion : Le cancer colorectal est majoritairement localisé dans le colon gauche et affecte le plus souvent les patients de sexe masculin dans la quarantaine. Le retard diagnostic est important et la prise en charge marquée par un faible accès des patients à la chimio/radiothérapie. Le pronostic à 5 ans est sombre.   English title: Descriptive epidemiology and management of colorectal cancer in Cameroon. A retrospective series of 103 cases at Yaoundé General Hospital Introduction: Data on the descriptive epidemiology and treatment modalities of colorectal cancer remain insufficient in our context. Methodology: We conducted a descriptive observational study with retrospective data collection in the oncology department of the Yaoundé General Hospital. Were included, all patient records followed for colorectal cancer from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2019 and whose outcome was known until December 31, 2020. Results: We collected 103 patients among whom 60 (5782%) were male. The mean age was 40.9 ± 16.6 years. A family history of colorectal cancer was found in 16.5% of patients. The delay between onset of symptoms and consultation was 12 ± 6.4 months. The left colon was the most common tumor location (30.1%) and the most frequent histologic type was Liberkühnian adenocarcinoma (46.6%). The tumors were predominantly at TNM stage 4 (39.8%) and 3 (25.2%) at the time of diagnosis. The treatment had a curative goal in 60.2% of cases; it was surgery combined with neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy in 59.7% and 64.5% of cases, respectively. No patient received radiotherapy. The 5-year survival was 15.5%. Conclusion: Colorectal cancer is predominantly localized in the left colon and most commonly affects male patients in their forties. There is a significant delay in diagnosis and treatment marked by poor patient access to chemo/radiotherapy. The prognosis at 5 years is grim

Contemporary epidemiological data of Rift Valley fever virus in humans, mosquitoes and other animal species in Africa: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Abstract Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a severe zoonotic mosquito‐borne disease that represents an important threat to human and animal health, with major public health and socioeconomic impacts. This disease is endemic throughout many African countries and the Arabian Peninsula. This systematic review with meta‐analysis was conducted to determine the RVF prevalence in humans, mosquitoes and other animal species in Africa. The review also provides contemporary data on RVF case fatality rate (CFR) in humans. In this systematic review with meta‐analysis, a comprehensive literature search was conducted on the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Global Index Medicus databases from January 2000 to June 2022 to identify relevant studies. Pooled CFR and prevalence estimates were calculated using the random‐effects model. Subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis were performed, and the I2‐statistic was used to investigate a potential source of heterogeneity. A total of 205 articles were included in the final analysis. The overall RVF CFR in humans was found to be 27.5% [95% CI = 8.0–52.5]. The overall pooled prevalence was 7.8% [95% CI = 6.2–9.6] in humans and 9.3% [95% CI = 8.1–10.6] in animals, respectively. The RVF prevalence in individual mosquitoes ranged from 0.0% to 25%. Subgroup analysis showed substantial heterogeneity with respect to geographical regions and human categories. The study shows that there is a correspondingly similar prevalence of RVF in human and animals; however, human CFR is much higher than the observed prevalence. The lack of a surveillance programme and the fact that this virus has subclinical circulation in animals and humans could explain these observations. The implementation of a One Health approach for RVF surveillance and control would be of great interest for human and animal health