The Pasteur Center of Cameroon (CPC) organized the 75th Pasteur Wednesday on November 19, 2025, under the moderation of Professor Paul Jean Adrien Atangana, an anatomopathologist and Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ebolowa. The event brought together healthcare professionals, students, and civil society actors to discuss advances in the prevention, diagnosis, and management of prostate cancer. In his opening remarks, the Director General of the CPC, Dr. Mirdad Kazanji, highlighted the role of the institution in research, training, and diagnostics in Cameroon.

Beliefs and Realities

Experts have clarified several misconceptions: a high frequency of sexual activity has no protective effect, and the disease mainly affects men over 60. In 2022, there were 19,564 new cases and 12,798 deaths. According to Dr. Junior Mekeme, Head of the Urology and Andrology Department at Yaoundé Central Hospital, this hormone-dependent tumor develops slowly and can remain asymptomatic, highlighting the importance of screening.

Early screening, a priority

For Dr. Lionel Bala, a medical oncologist at the Central Hospital of Yaoundé, screening from the age of 40 is a major public health issue. He called for strengthened prevention and awareness efforts to reduce mortality and improve patient care. Therapeutic advancements also offer new prospects for patients.

Diagnosis: towards more precise and less invasive tools

The pharmacist-biologist Nickel Emassi (CPC) emphasized the importance of PSA testing for screening and monitoring, as well as the contributions of imaging, biopsy, and biomarkers. New markers based on RNA and proteins make it possible to consider more precise and less invasive diagnoses.

Artificial intelligence supporting diagnosis

Dr. Léa Zobo, a pathologist at CPC, presented advances in artificial intelligence in the analysis of prostate tissues. AI improves image interpretation without replacing human expertise and is expected to contribute to the development of precision medicine and new biomarkers.