Ras Al Khaimah: Ras Al Khaimah Hospital (RAK) has announced it will be setting up a free camp for blood pressure, blood sugar and eye checks for participants taking part in the RAK Goes Pink — Breast Cancer Awareness Walk on October 23.
With October being breast cancer awareness month, the campaign will see participants coming together to walk, run and jog a distance of 1.5km, 3km or 6km at Al Marjan Island Boulevard in RAK to raise awareness of breast cancer.
According to a recent Canadian research, women suffering from diabetes are at a higher risk of being diagnosed with advanced stages of breast cancer. “What people also have to understand is that there is a significant link between diabetes and breast cancer. This is why it is important for women to get regular blood sugar testing, among other reasons,” said Raza Seddiqi, CEO Arabian Healthcare Group and Executive Director of RAK Hospital.
According to a study published in an issue of Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, women with diabetes are 14 per cent more likely to have stage II breast cancer, 21 per cent more likely to have stage III breast cancer, and 16 per cent more likely to have stage IV breast cancer. Moreover, diabetic patients are more at risk of bigger tumours and cancers, compared to non-diabetics. The research was conducted on 38,000 women who were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer.
Another study claims that diabetics also lower five-year breast cancer survival chances by as much as 15 per cent. “An average woman in the UAE is at 10 per cent higher risk of suffering from breast cancer, compared to global statistics. Combined with the high percentage of diabetics in the country — as much as 19 per cent according to experts — it is important that women should get regular screening done for both the health issues,” stressed Dr Raza Seddiqi.
RAK Goes Pink aims to create awareness regarding breast cancer and to encourage women to seek assistance and counselling on prevention and early detection. Registration is open from 7am, with the warm up from Gold’s Gym set to take place at 7.45am, before the official start of the event at 8am. All the proceeds from the event will go to Red Crescent (Care for Life).
