Breast cancer in women and leukemia in men accounted for the highest proportion of tumors afflicting patients at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center (KFSH&RC) in Jeddah and Riyadh in 2012, local media said.

More than a third of all malignant tumors in women that year were breast cancer, while 8.5 percent of men suffered from leukemia, the local report said.

Tawfiq Khoja, director general of the executive office of the GCC Health Ministers’ Council, said the biggest challenge in treating cancer in the region is the severe shortage of qualified cadres in the fields of medicine, nursing, diagnosis and treatment.

He stressed the need for optimal use of resources, not only in terms of reduction in costs, but also for high-quality and durable health care that is easily accessible to patients and their families.

“The majority of the current programs for cancer patient care are limited and not adequately funded,” he said. “These programs require continuous assessment to incorporate such programs into larger scale initiatives.”

Several tumor experts will hold an international conference in Saudi Arabia next month to explore the burdens of cancer in the GCC region.

The forum will be organized by Executive Office of the GCC Ministers of Health and the Gulf Center for Cancer Control and Prevention at KFSH&RC.

The conference is to focus on several issues, including the impact of current cancer treatment efforts on the GCC economies, early detection and treatment of the disease, the role of primary health care officers in the area of control and protection, and establishment of effective cooperation between oncologists, scientists, and supporters of health care programs in the Gulf region, he pointed out.