Breast cancer often untreated in the Middle East

Nisaa FM:- One Saudi woman ignored the cancer growing in her breast because she didn't want to risk a referral to a male doctor. Another was divorced by her husband on the mere suspicion she had the disease, while a third was dragged away from a mammogram machine because the technicians were men.

Breast cancer is still considered a taboo in many Arab countries like even as the disease claims more and more victims, but some women are pushing for greater openness about the illness.

In countries like Saudi Arabia, the issue is very serious. About 70 percent of breast cancer cases are not reported until they are at a very late stage, compared with 30 percent or less in the U.S., according to al-Amoudi.

She also said 30 percent of Saudi patients are under 40 years old, compared to 5 percent in the U.S.

Breast cancer is the No. 1 killer of women in the United Arab Emirates, according to official statistics, with many dying because the stigma surrounding the disease prevents them from seeking early detection.

Breast cancer awareness campaigns are becoming more prevalent in the Arab world. In Lebanon, for instance, a public service TV announcement shows two rounds, lit candles. One of them is extinguished as an announcer reads statistics about the disease and reminds women to do mammograms

But in the more conservative Gulf region, such campaigns are less aggressive, not as organized and unlikely to use such bold imagery.

In Saudi Arabia, a campaign that began this month gives discounts for mammograms and, in billboards, urges a woman to "Do the test now, for peace of mind."

The problem is not a matter of resources. The kingdom has some of the world's best equipment and doctors and even the poor have access to free medical care.

The problem is in people's mindsets. Many Saudis, like other Arabs, won't even refer to cancer by name, calling it just "that disease" because of the fear surrounding it.

Al-Amoudi, who chronicled her struggle with cancer in a local newspaper, recounted the story of a woman whose husband always pulls her away from the mammogram room because the technicians are male.

"The first thing women ask me when I tell them to get a mammogram is: 'Will the radiologist be male or female?'" she said.

"Some people feel that this is something private and if they talk about it, they become exposed," she said.

Al-Dabag said awareness is even missing among many gynecologists, who rarely talk to patients about self examinations or routine mammograms.

Source:http://www.nbcnews.com/