JEDDAH: Specialists at the “Best of Oncology 2008,” which is being held at the InterContinental Hotel here, yesterday stressed the need to lift the spirits of cancer patients, saying this would help their chances of recovery.
Dr. Yassir Bahadur, a consultant oncologist at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, spoke about the spread of breast cancer in the Kingdom, the importance of raising the self-esteem of patients and developments in machines to discover the disease at its early stage.
Bahadur said new treatment programs treat damaged areas without affecting normal cells. New forms of treatment also include the process of starving cancer cells by using medication to minimize the chances of such cells receiving oxygen.
Bahadur also stressed the importance of encouraging women to check themselves each month and undergo mammogram tests every year.
Breast cancer is spreading in the Kingdom and the number of cases is expected to increase due to the increase in population. There have been many cancer cases involving young women, the youngest being a 16-year-old girl who is thought to have caught the disease due to genetic reasons, he added.
One in every 10 women is expected to have cancer, said Bahadur, adding that the number of reported cases in rural areas is low due to lack of awareness.Seminars and awareness campaigns generally are held in cities.
Dr. Salam Al-Kindi, dean of the Hematology Department in Sultan Qaboos University, Oman, said the most challenging type of cancer in Oman is blood cancer.
A real challenge they face, he said, is that some people pursue alternative treatments, which cause their conditions to deteriorate.
