SAUDI GAZETTE

JEDDAH — Saudi Arabia urgently needs to update data on the prevalence of cancer in the country, particularly ovarian cancer, and hospitals must offer genetic counseling to patients’ family members, according to experts who spoke at a conference on ovarian cancer organized in Jeddah on Sunday.

The cancer experts also stressed the importance of raising awareness among different layers of society and to provide physiological aid during the treatment process. The recommendations were made during a conference entitled “The Current Reality and Future Solutions for Ovarian Cancer,” organized by AstraZeneca biopharmaceutical company in cooperation with the Saudi Oncology Society (SOS).

Dr. Meteb Al-Fohaidi, president of SOS, said the high number of deaths among ovarian cancer patients was due to several factors, including the difficulty of diagnosis before advanced stages due to the nature of cancer cell proliferation.

Al-Fohaidi said previous studies indicated that 13 percent of doctors in Saudi Arabia were unaware of the latest recommendations of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) and the Society of Gynecological Oncology (SGO) on the importance of BRCA testing.

Al-Fohaidi stressed the importance of raising public health awareness, saying that there is a relation between ovarian cancer and breast cancer, as BRCA mutations are responsible for 5 to 10 percent of all breast cancer cases, which suggests the importance of a thorough check on the family history of breast cancer patients.

Dr. Faisal Al-Safi, section head and consultant of gynecologic oncology, at King Abdulaziz Medical City, said ovarian cancer therapy had been improving constantly, particularly in the last 5 years. New research has made huge and important strides offering more promising solutions for ovarian cancer, which causes an annual mortality of around 150,000 women globally.

Al-Safi emphasized the importance of undergoing BRCA gene test.

Dr. Shadi Al-Khayyat, oncology consultant at King Abdulaziz University Hospital in Jeddah, said ovarian cancer management was mostly confined to surgery, followed by treatments such as chemotherapy. This has led ovarian cancer patients to face difficult choices. New and more effective medications now allow patients to carry on with their daily activities, strengthening their resolve to fight the disease.

Trad Al-Khelaiwi, director of oncology business unit and head of governmental affairs at AstraZeneca, stressed the importance of intensifying efforts to raise awareness on ovarian cancer in Saudi society.

He revealed that ovarian cancer mortality in the Kingdom in the early stages of the disease was only 19 percent, compared to 81 percent for advanced stages. Unfortunately, he added, only 36 percent of women are diagnosed at an early stage.

Al-Khelaiwi said more than 60 studies were ongoing in the field of oncology in different stages to provide new solutions to cancer patients. He stressed the importance of intensifying efforts to raise awareness on ovarian cancer among all segments of Saudi society.