More young women in Qatar prone to breast cancer

DOHA: Incidents of breast cancer among young women is considerably high in Qatar and the region compared to the West, said a senior official yesterday. 
The age of women first experience breast cancer or the disease acquires and develops is around 15 years younger than the Western countries, Dr Sheikh Khalid bin Jabor Al Thani, Chairman of Qatar Cancer Society told The Peninsula. 
“In the whole GCC the disease is at very younger age than the West. Comparatively speaking the onset age here is between 30 and 45 years, where it is 50 years in the West,” he said speaking on sidelines of the Breast Cancer Conference. 
Breast Cancer Conference ‘Present Standards and New Perspectives’ commenced yesterday in the presence of H E Dr Hanan Al Kuwari, Minister of Public Health, and several other senior officials at the Sheraton Grand Doha Resort & Convention Hotel, Doha. 
The conference was organised by the Qatar Cancer Society to coincide with the Breast Cancer awareness month— October. 
It has a special session dedicated to ‘Breast Cancer in Very Young Women.’
“Among all breast cancer patients in Qatar there are a considerable number of younger ones and seeing an increase in these numbers is an alarming situation. Yet the reason behind the condition is yet unknown,” said Dr Al Thani. 
“However through awareness on early detection and changing lifestyle habits we hope to control the situation soon,” he added. 
More than 2,500 local and international healthcare officials, experts and practitioners at the Breast Cancer Conference discuss and learn about new prevention, screening, diagnosis, and treatment approaches to breast cancer.  “This conference is different from other conferences we had been organising in the past. Here we are looking to learn about new technology and approach for treatment,” said Dr Al Thani. 
The two-day conference has several workshops and presentations on different issues related to breast cancer such as Breast cancer and Survivorship, Adjuvant radiotherapy in the management of breast cancer: rationale, indications and techniques, Optimal treatment of brain metastases in breast cancer : Are we there yet?, New Aspects and Insights in the Pathology of Breast Cancer and Management of Hereditary Breast Cancer. 

Dr Shaikha Abu Shaikha, Cancer Program Manager at the Primary Health Care Corporation, discussed about ‘Breast Cancer Screening in Qatar’ referring to the ‘Screen for Life’ national programme for detection of bowel and breast cancer. 
“Screen for Life in the first year invites Qatari women aged 45-69 without any breast cancer symptoms to undergo screening. And in its second year will expand for Qatari and non-Qatari women,” she said. 
“Until now, 4,243 underwent screening for breast cancer and 429 have been referred to the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) for further investigation,” she added. 
Also, international experts shared their experiences in breast cancer prevention and early detection. Dr Johannes Sailer, head of radiology at radiology centre Vienna Cooperation spoke on ‘Breast Cancer Screening in Austria’ and highlighted the results of the change of screening method ‘referral’ to ‘invitation’ in Austria. He also made a presentation on ‘New technologies in Breast imaging.’