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Before that Lump Becomes A Lump in Your Throat

DUBAI — Salwa Ibrahim was only 17 when she discovered cancerous lumps in her breast. The finding scared her and further diagnosis pointed to certain death for the youngster who believed in living life to the hilt.

“This discovery was made almost 20 years ago when the UAE did not have advanced methods to screen for the disease,” says the UAE national. For years until later, Salwa wondered how she had contracted the disease since no one else in her family had it.

When she arrived in London for treatment, Salwa was in for even a bigger shock. She learnt that cancer is not contracted but it develops due to several factors, including genetic reasons.

She was told she had to undergo chemotherapy and radiation — the side effects of which could make her barren. “The doctors told me clearly that I could no longer have children, but at that time full treatment was the only option for me,” Salwa recalled.

However, the overseas treatment only cured 80 per cent of Salwa’s cancer. “It was a terrible and painful experience for me,” she says, adding that doctors advised her to continue radiation treatment to kill the remaining cancer cells. Six months later, Salwa returned home to get married. Proving the doctors’ prediction wrong, she is now the proud mother of three girls.

Unfortunately for Salwa, the cancer reappeared two years ago and she had to undergo the same procedures and battle for survival. Only this time she opted to seek treatment at home in Dubai’s Rashid Hospital. Now cured but living in fear of the disease, Salwa dedicates her time on spreading awareness and encouraging women to pay attention to their health.

Being a woman is reason enough to have breast cancer, says Dr Moza Al Hattawi, senior health officer and member of the diagnosis team at the Breast Clinic of Rashid Hospital. “But it is also a known fact that early detection can save lives and help reduce the number of women who succumb to this disease,” she adds.

According to the World Health Organisation, breast cancer is by far the most common cancer in the UAE followed by colon, leukaemia, lymphomas and thyroid cancers.

The main risk factors for this cancer are: female sex, age at first child, number of children, age at menarche and menopause. However, breast cancer can be cured in a high proportion of patients if detected early, adds the health body.

A number of cancers have also been associated with obesity, including post]menopausal breast cancer. According to recent statistics released by the UAE National Breast Cancer Screening Programme, obese and overweight women were found to be at a greater risk of breast cancer than those with a family or past history of the disease.

This is an alarming trend since one-third of the UAE population is obese, which also means that a higher number of women are at risk of developing breast cancer at some point, says Dr Mona Al Sebelgy, coordinator for the National Breast Cancer Programme in Sharjah for Planning and Evaluation.

Since the programme’s launch in 1999 until mid-2009, 72,125 women had been screened. Of them, mammography was done on 39,370 women while 32,755 underwent clinical breast examinations.

Of those screened, 46 per cent were found to be more at risk due to obesity while 35 per cent were at risk for being overweight. Only 7.3 per cent of the women screened had a family history of the disease, one per cent had a past history, three per cent women were not married, 12 per cent of women had a child at the age of 30, five per cent were taking hormone replacement therapy, and 51 per cent were in the menopausal stage.

Based on available evidence, prevention of cancer by dietary means can be approached by observing the following principles: reduction of fat intake; increased intake of fibres, fruits and vegetables; maintenance of ideal body weight by a combination of moderate caloric diet; and adequate exercise.

Clinicians say increasing public awareness about breast self]examination, and performing mammography for women with an abnormality detected in breast self-examination are important aspects of treatment.

asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.ae