article · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, with chemotherapy serving as a primary treatment. A study conducted across two hospitals in Douala, Cameroon, evaluated how chemotherapy affects von Willebrand factor (VWF), an endothelial biomarker, in women with breast cancer. By comparing 55 patients undergoing chemotherapy with 33 healthy blood donors using sandwich ELISA testing, the investigation examined shifts in VWF levels alongside clinical variables. The results demonstrated that patient status, tumour grade, TNM classification, presence of metastasis, anaemia, platelet count, and traditional medicine use significantly associated with VWF variations. Notably, chemotherapy was linked to a significant decrease in VWF concentrations, especially under the anthracycline-based doxorubicin-cyclophosphamide regimen. This decrease contrasts with findings reported in other global settings, highlighting specific biological responses to chemotherapy within this patient group.
Chemotherapy can affect blood vessels and clotting factors, but these responses may differ across diverse global populations. Because previous research suggested chemotherapy increases endothelial inflammation and von Willebrand factor, finding a decrease in Cameroonian women provides critical evidence. It underscores the importance of monitoring specific blood biomarkers locally to better understand treatment impacts and ensure patient safety during cancer therapy.
The findings suggest that von Willebrand factor measurement could be integrated into clinical monitoring protocols for breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. This early-stage clinical research could inform hospital laboratories and diagnostic providers seeking to refine biomarker tracking during anthracycline-based regimens, though routine commercial application would require further validation in larger clinical cohorts.
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Background: Cancer is a major global health problem, particularly in low-income countries. In 2022, an estimated 2.5 million new cancer cases were recorded worldwide, 11.6% of which were breast cancers, the most frequent cancer in women. In Cameroon, breast cancer incidence was estimated at 4207 cases the same year. Invasive ductal carcinoma remains the most common histological subtype. Among the treatments used, chemotherapy is widely applied, but recent studies suggest it may trigger endothelial inflammation with abundant release of von Willebrand factor (VWF) into the bloodstream. This study aimed to determine the effect of chemotherapy on VWF concentration in patients with breast cancer followed in two hospitals in Douala. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analytical study over six months, comparing breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy with healthy blood donors serving as controls. Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected using a structured questionnaire and patients' medical records, while VWF concentration was measured by sandwich ELISA. Means and standard deviations were calculated for quantitative variables, and a p-value below 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Eighty-eight participants were recruited, comprising fifty-five breast cancer patients and thirty-three blood donors, with a mean age of 47±9 years. Patient status (cancer vs. control) was significantly associated with VWF concentration (p=0.003), as was the chemotherapy protocol used (p=0.001), particularly the anthracycline-based doxorubicin-cyclophosphamide protocol (p=0.003). Several other clinical and biological variables were also significantly associated with VWF variation, including tumour grade, TNM classification, presence of metastasis, anaemia, platelet count and use of traditional medicine. Conclusions: Chemotherapy, particularly anthracycline-based regimens, is associated with a significant decrease in VWF concentration among breast cancer patients in this Cameroonian population, contrary to reports from several other settings. These findings support the integration of VWF measurement into the biological monitoring of patients undergoing chemotherapy, especially in African populations where such data remain scarce.
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DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.22639619
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