The event, a collaboration between the Sheikh Mohammed Hussein Al-Amoudi Center of Excellence in Breast Cancer and Susan G Komen for the Cure, is being held at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah Wednesday and Thursday.
The first day’s lectures and laboratory practicum delivered sessions on types, incidence and detection of breast cancer and covered the role of the nurse in detection. A condition that causes great distress in the sufferer, Dr. Samia Al-Amoudi delivered a lecture on coping with breast cancer.
Al-Amoudi, CEO of the center, launched in 2010 and the first in the region, believes as a result of her visit to centers around the world that there is a gap in the Kingdom’s health care system, particularly when it comes to the health care of breast cancer patients.
Little known is the fact that breast cancer is the most common malignancy among women in Saudi Arabia. Male breast cancer, however, is a rare condition, accounting for only about 1 percent of all breast cancers and usually presenting in males of 60-70 years old.
Wednesday’s sessions introduce a lineup of speakers of international renown. The sessions cover Epidemiology and Genetic Profiling, Screening and Diagnosis, Multidisciplinary Management and the Challenges of Breast Cancer in the Region.
Thursday’s sessions cover breast cancer advocacy and will conclude with the production of a series of guidelines and solutions.
