CONFERENCE TO TACKLE CAUSES OF BREAST CANCER

RIYADH: The Prince Sultan Center for Hemophilia and Cancer (PSHC) at King Fahd Medical City in Riyadh is hosting a three-day international conference on breast cancer next week in cooperation with the Saudi Scientific Society for Tumors and the MD Anderson Cancer Center at Texas University in the US.

Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Homaidi, director of PSHC, said the conference, which starts tomorrow, would discuss the environmental and behavioral factors that lead to breast cancer, as well as the means to overcome them.

According to statistics compiled by the center, 783 breast cancer cases were diagnosed in 2004, with the majority of cases in the Eastern Province. This is more than 20 percent of all cancer cases detected in the Kingdom in that year. The average age of patients was 40 years.

Speaking about the low average age, Dr. Huda Al-Abdul Kareem, director of the Oncology Department and member of the scientific committee for the conference, said: “We are a young nation, therefore we witness the spread of breast cancer among the relatively young age group of 20-40 years old though the traditional average age for breast cancer detection is 60.”

According to Al-Homaidi, the conference will discuss diagnostic aspects, including the role of modern technological tools, in early detection of the disease. The latest means of treatment, including surgery, radiation therapy and chemical and nonchemical medications will also be discussed.

Al-Abdul Kareem said targeting therapy, which is the use of medications to target certain proteins and enzymes in cancer cells in the body, is among the latest discoveries that will be discussed.

Al-Homaidi said in all, 36 scientific papers, 17 of them by US experts, will be presented at the conference. Specialists from the MD Anderson Center, who have immense experience in diagnosing and treating breast cancer through various methods including lifestyle changes, will be among the participants.

The first day of the conference sees three workshops on radiotherapy; a workshop on the second day will be dedicated for discussion and training of nurses. The third workshop aims at building awareness among patients and the general public.

Al-Abdul Kareem commended the role of philanthropic societies in the Kingdom in raising breast cancer awareness. “At the Oncology Department, we are happy with the early discoveries made by screening at Abdul Latif Center for Early Diagnosis,” she said.

However, she added that these groups could achieve better results by combining their efforts and coordinating with other agencies.


Walaa Hawari - Arab News