Epidemiologic Clinical and Therapeutic Profile of Advanced Bladder Cancer: A Ten-Year Retrospective Study in Yaounde and Douala General Hospitals

Background: Advanced bladder cancer (ABC) remains particularly frequent in our practice. Bones and lungs are the most common metastases of ABC. Advance Bladder cancer has higher mortality thereby emphasising the importance of its early diagnosis. Aim: To determine the prevalence, clinical features and treatment and outcome of patients with advanced bladder cancer in the oncology units of Yaounde and Douala General hospitals. Method: This study employed a retrospective descriptive design over a ten-year period (January 2013 - December 2022). Medical records of patients diagnosed with advanced bladder cancer were retrieved from the oncology units of Yaoundé and Douala General Hospitals. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 25.0. Results: A total of 10,684 medical records were reviewed, from which 66 cases of advanced bladder cancer were identified. Twelve (12) cases were excluded, resulting in a final sample of 54 participants. The majority of cases (74.07%) were from Yaoundé General Hospital, while 25.92% were from Douala General Hospital. The mean age of participants was 56.78 ± 14.25 years, with an age range of 24 to 80 years. The male-to-female ratio was 1.3:1. Macroscopic hematuria was the most common clinical presentation. The lungs were the most frequently affected site of metastasis, observed in 20.4% of cases. Chemotherapy was the primary treatment modality, administered to 32 patients (59.3%), with 18 (33.33%) receiving the Carbogemzar protocol. The mean follow-up duration was 143.6 ± 312.09 days, and disease progression was noted in 11 patients (20.4%). Conclusion: Delayed diagnosis of bladder cancer is still common in Africa with a high mortality rate. More efforts should be made to ensure the early diagnosis of the condition and improve patient outcomes.