UAE: 1 in 8 women develop breast cancer, regular self-exams are best way to fight disease – News

Symptoms include lumps or swelling in the breasts, upper chest, or armpits, unusual changes in breast or nipple color, shape, or size, and abnormal nipple discharge

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Becoming an advocate for yourself and reaffirming the importance of regular self-examination for early detection of breast cancer was the collective impulse of doctors gathered during the Pan-UAE Breast Cancer Awareness Initiative on Thursday.

With October being recognized as the country’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, experts at the “Pink Warrior” event at the Shangri-La Hotel in Dubai insisted on early screening to prevent the disease.

Dr Amal Hassan Abdelaziz – Specialist, Clinical Lecturer and Head of OBS and Gynaecology, Thumbay University Hospital, Ajman said: “Early detection is the way forward to prevent the onset and eliminate it before it becomes cancer. More than a few cells in the breast are detected, and the person can go on to live and survive. But, at this point, the person may be at risk for a recurrence of the cancer, so they have to be screened.”

One in eight women has breast cancer. While the disease peaks in their 40s or 50s, people older than that can also develop the disease. “At the age of 40 and 50, these cancers are more active because people go through menopause, and around perimenopause, we have more estrogen. During this time, people also have other conditions, such as bleeding. This time , when the hormones drop a little bit, start getting more estrogen. This affects aging, has gone through a lot of things that can lead to mutations. During this time, a lot of things don’t look the same. Our skin looks Not the same. Every cell looks different. So, these are factors,” Dr Abdelaziz added.

Symptoms of breast cancer include a lump or swelling in the breast, upper chest, or armpit, unusual changes in breast or nipple color, shape, or size, and abnormal nipple discharge.

Dr. Verushka Mansukhani, a general surgeon at the Prime Minister’s Hospital, explained how cancer spreads to younger groups.

Medics say people’s eating habits are changing these days. Hormone use is rampant and people are exposed to different kinds of chemicals due to pollution.

“It’s the only type of cancer we speak of that after a patient is diagnosed with it, it’s more systemic and has spread somewhere. Patients are always called survivors. They’re never Have seen a permanent cure because cancer can come back at any age after 20 or 25. There is no absolute cure and the incidence has increased a lot. That’s why we are here with the help of the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) With so many projects underway, we do a lot of screening procedures.

“Screening is done to find asymptomatic, asymptomatic or precancerous tumors that can persist without any symptoms. So we can help our patients, find them at stage zero, not at their Find them breast cancer when they start getting cancer. Cancer is starting to show up in younger people too. The youngest patient at Prime Hospital is 21. So we’re seeing a shift from the older generation to the younger generation and it’s more aggressive,” Mansukhani added.

Healthcare professionals stress that a cancer survivor’s story should resonate because it resonates more.

Kate Hoffman RN MSc, Group Chief Nursing Officer, NMC Healthcare Ltd, said: “It is very important that we listen to survivors. We love stories. I have spoken to many women and some men with cancer. When you hear about their colleagues, They’re really moved when they tell the story of the diagnosis of a friend or even a stranger. It’s not just about ordinary people. It’s about the media reporting on famous people. Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie was removed because she had a high-risk gene breasts. It’s incredible because she’s a beautiful woman. She took a big step in taking her life out of the choices she knew she made to reduce her risk of cancer. So, these stories are so great for the community Very important because it tells the whole story of cancer, successful diagnosis and treatment to those who die.”

She added: “So, the UAE makes it easy for them to find good clinicians wherever we go. One-stop clinics and Pink Caravans around Dubai and Sharjah can be easily found. There’s a lot in the community.”