Greater awareness but lack of facilities, doctors say

Dubai: Getting breast cancer is no longer a death sentence and if detected early there is a 99 per cent chance of survival, says a doctor whose main concern is to educate and make women aware of the disease.

"It is no longer a scary disease," says Dr Sawsan Al Madhi, secretary-general of Friends of Cancer Patients, based in Sharjah. But she laments the fact there are no early detection centres in the UAE.

She says there is an urgent need to tell women to carry out a self-examination "every month".

She advises that if you feel a suspicious bump on your breast or under your armpit do not hesitate to call your doctor for a check-up. If you are over 40 years old then a mammogram is essential every year.

Breast cancer is first in the 10 most common cancers in the UAE among both Emirati and expatriate women. It is also the second-highest killer in the country, mainly due to late diagnosis.

Disastrous

"It is disastrous," says Dr Moza Al Hattawi, surgeon at the Rashid Hospital and member of the Breast Cancer Awareness team. She said she and three other female surgeons in the hospital are kept busy as they get 40 to 45 cases every week. She said the patients are also getting younger.

"Earlier, we had patients between 40 to 45 years. Now we are getting patients below 30 years of age."

She attributes this not only to genetics, but a bad lifestyle and lack of exercise. Doctors feel the late diagnosis was due to traditions. "Women felt embarrassed to be examined by a male doctor," she says.

Now that they have heard that Rashid Hospital has women doctors, more women are coming in to be examined, she said.

The UAE's first female surgeon, Dr Houriya Kazim, feels there is an urgent need for a cancer registry.

"There are no proper figures available," she said. "I have banged my head [calling for a registry] but have given up now," she says.

She has set up Brest Friends a support group and also a charity organisation called The Breast Cancer Patients of the Emirates. Dr Kazim points out there are no radiotherapy units in any hospital in Dubai. Women have to travel all the way to Al Tawam Hospital in Al Ain to get that particular treatment.

Cancer treatment is only available at two hospitals in the UAE. Al Tawam Hospital and Dubai Hospital, which offers chemotherapy. Both types of treatment are given free of charge to both Emiratis and expatriates.