ABU DHABI // A website to give women advice and information on breast cancer and other related illnesses has been set up a by a leading surgeon in the field. Dr Arati Shirali said ignorance, fear and embarrassment surrounding breast cancer in Middle Eastern cultures prompted her to start the resource, believed to be the first UAE-based website of its kind.
"I have had several unique experiences of breast diseases and cancer in young women, pregnant women and with women who have been traumatised by the social pressures of even discussing the disease," Dr Shirali said. "Some women have been socially ostracised, some have had marriage proposals for their daughters turned down. "Ignorance of the disease and cultural pressures make society conclude that the presentation of a breast disease implies the woman has breast cancer."
The site, beautybeyondbreast.com, includes an e-mail system that women can use to ask questions they may be too embarrassed or afraid to ask their own doctors. Dr Shirali has been a breast surgeon for 10 years and helped set up the breast unit at Al Mafraq Hospital in Abu Dhabi. She also wants to set up a support group to help teach women how to examine their breasts, and also provide advice for women who have breast cancer and other breast-related conditions.
She said one of the biggest problems in the UAE is a general lack of awareness about breast illnesses. "As soon as someone notices or feels a change they immediately panic and think cancer," Dr Shirali said. "I want women to be less afraid and to understand more. "A lump in the breast does not always mean cancer. The more we talk about this, and the more information which is available means more women will know that if they look after themselves and their own health, a lot of the problems can be dealt with."
According to the National Cancer Registry, based at Tawam Hospital in Al Ain, 22.8 per cent of diagnosed cancer cases among women in the UAE are breast cancer, making it the country's most common cancer. It is estimated that only 30 per cent of women in the UAE diagnosed with breast cancer are in early stages of the disease, when the chances of a cure are significantly higher and treatment much less invasive.
The average age of diagnosis among Emiratis is 40 to 45, 10 years younger than the European median and about 20 years below that in the US. Brigitte Chemla, a general manager of a health insurance company in Dubai, was diagnosed with breast cancer last October. She said anything that raises awareness and gets people talking about breast cancer and its signs is a good thing. "Awareness is the top subject," she said.
"Being able to speak about it with our daughters, and speak about it with our friends and neighbours and work colleagues is very important. "I think having a website based in the UAE which takes into account the culture is great. If it is culturally aware it is very good." The UAE is participating in an international campaign, the Global Initiative for Breast Cancer Awareness, established by the US-based Susan G Komen for the Cure foundation. Other participants include Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Ghana, India, Jordan, Ukraine and Mexico.
Experts including Dr Shirali say that one of the main reasons for the late diagnosis and lack of awareness is a cultural taboo. "In the western world, 80 to 90 per cent of cases of cancer are detected by hand, but if people here do not like to self-examine and talk about this, the cancers may not be caught soon like they are elsewhere," she said. Dr Shirali, who is based at the Lifeline Hospital, has tried to make her website as user-friendly as possible, while covering sensitive topics such as lactation.
"I want women to take their health into their own hands. There is no one better to rely on to save a life than yourself," she said. "I want older and younger women to use the site as a resource to learn about how important it is to know their own bodies and not be afraid to seek advice or help." @Email:munderwood@thenational.ae
