Immuno-Histochemical Profile of Breast Cancers at the General Hospital of Douala-Cameroon

Abstract

Introduction: The aim of the study was to describe the immunohistochemical aspects of breast cancers at Douala General Hospital, Cameroon. Methodology: This was a descriptive study with retrospective data collection, conducted from January 1st 2010 and December 31st 2019. It was focused on histologically proven breast cancers followed up at Douala General Hospital. Results: We collected 285 cases of breast cancer, all female, representing an annual frequency of 28.5 cases. The mean age of the patients was 48 ± 13 years. The most frequent histological form was infiltrating ductal carcinoma (83.9%), with grade II predominating (38.6%). Immunohistochemical analyses were performed on 89 patients (31.23%). The triple-negative subtype was the most common class (35.95%), followed by Luminal A (32.60); Human Epidermal Receptor 2-class and Luminal B tumors were observed at a frequency of 13.48% each. Treatment consisted mainly of surgery (78.60%) combined with chemotherapy (65.97%) and/or radiotherapy (63.16%). Hormonal treatment was used in only 10.18% of patients. Targeted therapy was exceptional (4%). Conclusion: Triple-negative phenotype is the most common. However, potentially hormone-sensitive tumors account for almost half of all patients, who are relatively young. Individualized treatments are rare. It is important to systematize these analyses for all breast cancers, with a view to appropriate management in our environment.