TITLE:
Prognostic Factors and Survival of Laryngeal Cancer in Cameroon
AUTHORS:
Jean Paul Engbang, Maurice Mpessa, Laurence Essama, Samad Abdel Mohamadou, Louis Richard Njock
KEYWORDS:
Laryngeal Cancer, Prognostic Factors, Survival, Cameroon
JOURNAL NAME:
International Journal of Otolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery,
Vol.10 No.1,
January
27,
2021
ABSTRACT: Background: Laryngeal cancer is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. It is ranked worldwide as the second ENT cancer with 238,000 new cases and 106,000 deaths each year. In Africa, data on the prognostic factors and the survival of this pathology remain quite limited. Objective: To study the prognostic factors of laryngeal cancer and the survival of patients with laryngeal cancer in Yaoundé and Douala. Methods and Materials: We performed an analytical, longitudinal (retrospective) study over a period from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2018 including all patients with histologically proven laryngeal cancer, at the ENT, oncological, anatomopathological, radiotherapy and surgery Department of three reference health structures in the cities of Douala and Yaoundé (Laquintinie Hospital and General Hospital of Douala, General Hospital of Yaounde). The data collected were recorded and analyzed by SPSS version 25 and Excel 2013 statistical computer software. Survival was determined by the Kaplan Meier method and the search for prognostic factors was carried out using the Cox proportional hazards model. The significance level was p = 0.05. Results: We selected 80 patients whose vital status we knew and who had been followed up after histological evidence. The sex ratio was 5.66. The median age at cancer diagnosis was 62 years old. 60 (75%) were exposed to tobacco, 52 (65%) had alcohol-tobacco poisoning. The Center and Littoral regions were the most represented with 37.5% and 48.8% respectively. Dysphonia was present in 98.8% of patients. The histological type encountered was squamous cell carcinoma in 78 patients; in the majority of cases the cancer was diagnosed at stage IV and the glottis was the most frequent site (86.2%). The median overall survival was 1.41 with 95% CI [1.08 - 1.74]. The overall survival rates at 1 year, 3 years, 5 years and 8 years were 70%, 18%, 3% and 1.5%, respectively. The poor prognosis factor found was: age greater than or equal to 70 years. Conclusion: Present study showed that survival in laryngeal cancer in Cameroon is very low with a median overall survival of 1.41 years. The overall survival rates at 1 year, 3 years, 5 years and 8 years are 70%, 18%, 3% and 1.5%, respectively. The age greater than or equal to 70 years is the poor prognosis factor, while receiving surgery in combination with neoadjuvant chemotherapy or surgery in combination with adjuvant radiotherapy is the factor of good prognosis.