Factors influencing patient survival in a group of men with prostate cancer in Yaoundé, Cameroon

Purpose: We evaluated the survival time of patients with stage D cancer of the prostate (CaP) in Yaounde, Cameroon, so as to lay the groundwork for evaluating patient management and outcomes in such communities in sub-Saharan Africa. Patients and Materials: A cohort of 200 patients was recruited at diagnosis and followed over a 171 month period. They had a standard work-up and staging protocol except for the absence of bone scan. Treatment was offered after they were staged following the Whitemore ABCD-system. Standard statistical analysis was performed for quantitative variables and graphs developed for continuous variables. Pearson correlation and Chi-square tests were used to evaluate associations between variables. The Kaplan-Meier product-limit method was used to estimate survival functions and log-rank test to compare data from complete survival curves. The statistical significance level was fixed at p values less than or equal to 0.05. Results: The mean age of our patients was 67 years and 41.5% of them were in the 60-69 year-bracket. Survival was worse for those 66 years and older (p = 0.013). Patient survival correlated with tumor differentiation such that a Gleason score of 6 or greater meant diminished survival time (p = 0.014). For the entire group, median overall survival was 40.5 months, 44% at 5 years and 17% at 10 years. Patients who received multi-modal therapy (complete androgen ablation by surgical and medical means, and radiation to the pelvis and metastatic sites) seemed to have the best survival (p \u3c 0.001) although patient stratification into treatment groups was not randomized. A comparison of survival of African-American cohorts and this group showed no statistical significance (p = 0.1). Conclusion: Survival of patients with prostate cancer in Yaounde is just as low as in African-Americans. Survival is worse however, for men older than 66 years in Yaounde. A call for comparative and collaborative clinical trials is made