ecancermedicalscience

Research

Feasibility of cancer genetic counselling and screening in Cameroon: perceived benefits and barriers

14 Aug 2023
Berthe Sabine Esson Mapoko, Kenn Chi Ndi, Lionel Tabola, Vanessa Mouaye, Pelagie Douanla, Nasser Nsangou, Glenda Nkeng, Carmen Vanvolkenburgh, Bonaventure Dzekem, Dezheng Huo, Paul Ndom, Olufunmilayo Olopade

Because there was no genetic testing service in Cameroon, we assessed the acceptance, perceived benefits and barriers and willingness to pay for genetic cancer screening in Cameroon amongst patients with cancers. We carried out a hospital-based, cross-sectional study on adult cancer patients at the Yaoundé General Hospital and the non-Governmental Organisation Solidarity Chemotherapy between February 1, 2021, and December 31, 2021. This was a convenience sampling that included all consenting patients. Qualitative and quantitative data were analysed by Epi info version 7 and SPSS version 20. Our study included 160 (87.5% females) cancer patients, whose ages ranged from 20 to 82 years, with a mean of 49.9 ± 13.0 years. Only 11.9% had undergone some form of genetic counselling or information sessions, and most found this to be helpful in terms of increased knowledge and prevention strategies (13, 68.4%). Almost all participants (156, 97.5%) stated they will like their relatives to undergo genetic counselling. Of these, 151 (94.4%) expressed their desire for their relatives to discuss their cancer risk with a specialist. Perceived benefits of genetic testing included cancer prevention (108, 67.5%) and motivation of self-examination (81, 50.6%). Prominent possible barriers included the cost (129, 80.6%), unavailability of equipment (49, 30.6%) and anticipated anxiety (40, 25.0%). However, a majority of the participants (156, 97.5%) were willing to test for genetic mutations. One hundred and thirty-five (84.4%) participants were willing to pay for genetic testing, with the majority of them (71.8%) ready to pay between $16.7 and $100. Almost all of the participants expressed their willingness to receive cancer genetic counselling and testing but the cost became the main barrier. This pilot study will serve as a guide to the processes of establishing a cancer risk assessment clinic in Cameroon.

Related Articles

Annesha Chakraborti, Badira Cheriyalinkal Parambil, Venkata Rama Mohan Gollamudi, Maya Prasad, Siddhartha Laskar, Nehal Khanna, Jifmi Jose Manjali, Sajid Qureshi, Mukta Ramadwar, Poonam Panjwani, Akshay Baheti, Vasundhara Patil, Sneha Shah, Girish Chinnaswamy
Sandy Minck, Gerda Evans, Marie Lowe, Cindy Schultz-Ferguson, Catherine Woulfe, Kym Berchtenbreiter, Krysty Sullivan, Ann White, Lynette Moore, Susan Jarvis, Wendy V Ingman, Jennifer Stone
Md Foorquan Hashmi, Fiza Khan, Elen Baloyan, Liana Safaryan, Davit Zohrabyan, Gevorg Tamamyan, Samvel Bardakhchyan
Marco Aurélio Bertúlio das Neves, Noemi Dreyer Galvão, Fernanda Cristina da Silva de Lima, Júlio Fernando Pinto Oliveria, Sancho Pedro Xavier, Ageo Mário Cândido da Silva