Hundreds of healthcare professionals from across the Middle East and Asia region have come together for the seventh UAE Cancer Congress, which began today (October 29) at the Interncontinental Hotel in Dubai.

 

The three-day conferece in being supported by Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences, said a statemnt.

 

Humaid Al Qatami, chairman of the board and director-general of the Dubai Health Authority said during his opening speech at the conference: “Despite advancements in human development, globally we all face the challenges of chronic diseases such as cancer, which according to WHO, is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. 

 

"In 2012,  globally approximately 14 million new cases and 8.2 million cancer related deaths were recorded. This reinforces the magnitude of the problem and calls for healthcare institutions to focus on research, multidisciplinary treatment of the disease and a need for sustained community outreach to raise awareness about the need for regular screening and leading healthy lifestyles.”

 

Abdullah bin Souqat, executive director of Hamdan Medical Award, said: “Supporting this conference goes in line with the Award’s objectives to promote medical services by recognizing the importance of scientific research and outstanding achievements in the field of medicine. 

 

"The principal goal of the Congress which is being attended by leading regional and international faculty is to promote research and multidisciplinary cancer care.”

 

Dr Shaheenah Dawood, Head of Medical Oncology and Breast Cancer Program at Dubai Hospital and Congress President, said: “Patients diagnosed with cancer are treated by several health care professionals and not just one doctor, therefore multidisciplinary cancer care is important to improve patient outcomes. This conference is a fully comprehensive cancer congress for all those working with cancer patients in the Gulf. 

 

"Taking a multidisciplinary approach to cancer care has been shown to be best practice in all types of cancer management and it is in this spirit that delegates attending the conference come from a wide-range of healthcare disciplines.”

 

The conference is covering a broad range of topics in the oncology field including breast cancer, lung cancer, gastro-intestinal cancer, head and neck cancer, gyne oncology, surgical oncology, cancer imaging and nutrition in cancer.  

 

Although there has been significant improvement in awareness levels, there is a need to continue public outreach campaigns, said Dr Dawood.

 

"Until a few years ago, people in the UAE were not aware of the importance of cancer screening and this was reflected in hospitals as patients would come to us in their later stages of cancer. However, nowadays due to sustained awareness campaigns and the work of authorities such as the DHA, who are putting in efforts to educate the population about the disease and the importance of screening, we are seeing patients in their earlier stages of cancer," she said.

 

"Yet, there are still those who come to us once the cancer has advanced. As healthcare professionals it is our aim that every patient who comes to us, is someone who has detected the cancer early on because early detection of cancer saves lives,” she added.

 

She said that the top ten cancers include breast, thyroid, gastro-intestinal, prostate and haematological cancers.

 

“Over the last few years, we can say that there has been a steady rise in all types of cancers that doctors are witnessing, globally and in the UAE. The World Economic Forum has rightly stated that cancer will be the most challenging disease that we will have to face for the next fifty years. 

 

"With the alarming increase in the incidence of cancer that has been observed in the Middle East and Asia Pacific region, there is a need to ensure we promote excellence in oncology and educate the public about the need for leading healthy lifestyles and to undergo regular screenings, especially if they have a family history of cancer.”

 

According to WHO, around one-third of cancer deaths are due to the five leading behavioural and dietary risks: high body mass index, low fruit and vegetable intake, lack of physical activity, tobacco use, alcohol use.

 

Dr Dawood said: “Part of the problem is unhealthy lifestyle factors which can actually be changed and these are modifiable changes. Factors such as genetic predisposition are unmodifiable changes. At the end of the day,  every person should focus on the modifiable factors. We don’t have control on the unmodifiable risks factors but early detection and screening is in our hands.” - TradeArabia News Service