Breast cancer cases rise 17% in one year

LANI ROSE R DIZON

DOHA THE number of breast cancer cases in Qatar has risen by 17 percent from 134 in 2010 to 161 in 2011, a Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) official said on Tuesday. The total number of breast cancer cases in the country since 2004 stands at 948 and 2 percent of those affected are males.

Citing figures released by the HMC Cancer Registry, Medical Oncologist/Haematologist and Director of HMC Breast Screening Dr Salha Bujassoum said that the number of breast cancer cases has been rising every year due to the growing population and greater awareness as more people opt for screening leading to early detection.

In 2004, HMC diagnosed 77 breast cancer cases. The number was 92 in 2005, 91 in 2006, 118 in 2007, 127 in 2008 and 148 in 2009. The median age of patients is 45 years.

“The number of patients visiting HMC for breast screening test has been increasing every year as well. We have screened 2,922 patients from April 2008 to August this year. Most of the patients were diagnosed with the disease at an early stage. They underwent surgery, radiotherapy, and hormone treatment”, she said.

“Only a few patients received chemotherapy. And this is the aim of the clinics, to discover breast cancer at an early stage and to provide them with early medical intervention, because early treatment of the disease always leads to improved survival and even complete recovery”, she added.

However, Bujassoum also said that despite the growing breast cancer awareness in Qatar, many women were still afraid to come forward for screening tests.

She said, “One-third of the patients coming to the screening clinic are Qataris, while twothirds are non-Qataris. We encourage women aged 45 years and above to come for the screening. It is well-known that a patient diagnosed with the disease at an early-stage has up to 90 percent 10-year survival chance. However, some patients are still scared to discover they might have the disease. Some people also prefer to travel abroad for the treatments. But we have all the advanced treatments and techniques required for treatment of breast cancer here. So they no longer have to go outside the country for treatment,” she added.

Meanwhile, the Qatar Cancer Society plans to introduce mobile vans to conduct breast cancer screening for the public as part of the national breast cancer screening programme.

The HMC will also organise a Breast Cancer Awareness Day on Saturday at the Ritz Carlton Hotel where people can register for the breast cancer screening at the HMC. Breast cancer screening bookings can done by calling 66004051or 44398994.

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