UICC World Cancer Congress 2006

Cameroon is situated on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa and has an area of 475000km2. The estimated population was 15000000 in the year 2000.

Methods:

A hospital based cancer registry existed between 1987 and 2000 in Yaounde. This registry showed that liver cancer was the most common cancer in the general population while cervical cancer was the most common in Cameroonian women. A screening programme was then established in Yaounde and Douala . In Cameroon, only 1/300 women can perform her pap smear and only 10% of registered cancers are microscopically verified. Hepatitis B vaccine is still expensive for Cameroonians. Results:

The department of pathology at the university hospital of Yaounde – Cameroon is the oldest histopathology service in the entire country . This laboratory processes about 1000 pathological specimens annually.Radiology, Ultrasonography and Endoscopy services are available in two main cities which covers only 20% of the population. Medical Oncology / Heamatology services are not well established and a restricted spectrum of cancer chemotherapy drugs are available on payment. Thoracic surgery, Neurosurgery and Radiotherapy are scarce. Then very little can be offered for inoperable tumours. There is no officially proclaimed National Cancer Control Programme in Cameroon. A formal evaluation of visual inspection with acetic acid for early detection of cervical dysplasia and their treatment with cryotherapy is not yet well established and various screening modalities for AIDS associated malignancies will be useful.