TITLE:
Towards Improved Dermatological Care: Evaluation of Histoclinical Concordance in Yaounde over a Decade
AUTHORS:
Coralie Reine Bertine Mendouga Menye, Christiane Judith Ngo Pambe Rissia, Rose Ekambi Kotto, Eleonore Ashley Ngai Nkougang, Paul Jean Adrien Atangana, Elisa Djingou Awounfouet, Emmanuel Armand Kouotou
KEYWORDS:
Concordance, Dermatopathology, Yaounde, Histoclinical
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Pathology,
Vol.16 No.1,
November
14,
2025
ABSTRACT: Introduction—Cutaneous pathologies constitute a major public health problem in Cameroon. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the concordance rate between clinical and histopathological diagnoses at Centre Pasteur du Cameroun (CPC) in Yaounde from 2012 to 2021. Methodology—A descriptive cross-sectional study with retrospective data collection was conducted at the Anatomy and Cytopathology laboratory of the CPC. All patient files with cutaneous biopsies examined in that laboratory with clinical information and diagnoses were included. Quantitative variables were expressed as means with their standard deviation, and qualitative variables as frequencies and percentages. The anatomopathological and clinical concordance rate was studied using the Kappa coefficient. A p-value Results—A total of 2037 cutaneous biopsies were analyzed, with a mean age of 40.9 ± 19.4 years. The majority of specimens studied in the laboratory were performed by dermatologists (32%). The most commonly used sampling method was punch biopsy (46.9%), and the most frequent locations were the lower extremities (37.3%). The overall concordance rate was 67.9% (total concordance: 45.2%, partial concordance: 22.7%), with a predominance of overall concordance rate for tumoral and infectious dermatoses. Conclusion—At the conclusion of our study, which aimed to determine the concordance rate between clinical and histopathological diagnoses at the Pasteur Center of Cameroon in Yaounde from 2012 to 2021.