New Journal for GCC

Email:

Dear Doctor,

The Gulf Federation for Cancer Control, (GFCC) is launching a peer-reviewed Journal, named The GULF JOURNAL of ONCOLOGY. This journal is intended to promote excellence in Oncology in the Arabian Gulf region. The main content areas for this journal would be research and postgraduate education in the field of Oncology. The journal will publish original research, short reports on research in progress, review articles, controversies, reports from conferences and commentaries.

The Gulf Journal of Oncology of the GFCC will appear initially bi-annually. The first edition has been released in January 2007. Oncologists,(surgical radiation , Medical ,oncologists), clinicians and researchers in the fields of Oncology, post-graduate medical students, medical administrators are invited to be partners in this new academic and scientific undertaking by submitting their work for consideration to be published in the Journal.

The last date of receiving papers to be considered for publication is before the 1^st of Feb. for July issue or 1^st of Aug. for January issue

You can Submit your papers directly on this Email.gffccku@yahoo.com , manah5@hotmail.com . You can check our Journal in this location in Internet www.gffcc.org/journal

Yours sincerely,

Dr. Khalid A.Al-Saleh,

Editor-In-Chief,

Gulf Journal of Oncology

Healthcare Costs in GCC US$60 bil by 2025

The direct healthcare costs in the GCC region are expected to increase fivefold by 2025 to US$60 billion from US$12 billion now, with health risk factors, ageing, population growth and medical inflation contributing to the cost escalation. The GCC Healthcare 2025 report by McKinsey & Co Inc on Healthcare in the GCC – Challenges and Opportunities, presented by Dr Viktor Hediger at the GE Healthcare Middle East Media Summit, also cited the cost burden on cardiology will rise from US$1.5 billion now to US$15 billion by 2025.

Dr Hediger said that by 2025 cardiology will make for 24 per cent of the healthcare costs followed by infectious diseases, maternal and perinatal conditions, digestive diseases, genitourinal disorders, cancer and other diseases.

Addressing the Media Summit’s discussion on Healthcare Economics – the Cost of Early Health, he said the number of outpatient and inpatient visits is expected to grow 350 per cent in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait; 260 per cent in Bahrain; and 310 per cent in Oman.

However, the GCC region has a shortage of nursing staff with only 4.2 nurses per 1,000 population in the UAE; 3 per 1,000 in Saudi Arabia; 4.3 in Bahrain; and 3.5 in Oman. The GCC average of 4 nurses per 1,000 people is nearly half of that in OECD countries, which have an average of 9.4. Dr Hediger said that of the nursing staff, only 3 per cent are nationals in the UAE while the figures are higher in Bahrain (60 per cent) and Oman (56 per cent).

Governments in the region are making concerted efforts to address the challenges and implement a holistic healthcare system according to McKinsey & Co. The Ministries of Health are increasingly focusing on policy making. The private sector will also have an increasing role in healthcare delivery, said Dr Hediger.

He asserted the need for having neutral healthcare regulators for both the public and private sector to set standards and implement checks.

Over 50 delegates comprising leading medical experts, patient associations and media representatives joined GE Healthcare to also discuss the evolving practice of medicine and patient care from treating symptomatic ‘late-stage’ disease to a focus on earlier pre-symptomatic disease detection and earlier, potentially more effective treatment options.

GE Healthcare International President and CEO Reinaldo Garcia delivered the keynote address focusing on the company’s vision for the future of healthcare delivery. The summit also highlighted advances in prevention, treatment and diagnosis of cardiovascular disease, cancer and fetal defects. Other sessions covered healthcare economics and how molecular imaging is transforming the way chronic diseases are being diagnosed.

Healthcare experts participating at the summit included: Dr Mousa Akbar, Head of Cardiology Department, Al Sabah Hospital, Kuwait; Dr Zeynep Albayrak, Founding Partner, Neoson Ltd., Turkey; Dr Maha Barakat, Medical & Research Director, Imperial College London Diabetes Centre, Abu Dhabi, UAE; and Dr Mohamed Momtaz, Director of Fetal Medicine Unit, Kasr Al Aini Faculty of Medicine, Egypt.

© 2007 Mena Report

Saudi Arabia

Leukemia Is ‘Most Common Cancer Among Saudi Males’

AlamiConsulting - Cancer International: Incidence of blood cancer (leukemia) is higher among Saudi men compared to Saudi women, according to Dr. Mohammed Aslam, a leading oncologist and head of the blood cancer section at King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center in Jeddah.

From Arabnews

22% Saudis Smoke Cigarettes: WHO

AlamiConsulting - Cancer International: According to recent statistics provided by the World Health Organization (WHO), as many as 22% of Saudis smoke cigarettes with 25% of them suffering from diabetes and 15 to 20% experiencing high blood pressure.
From Muslimnews

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Yemen and Bahrain News

Yemen

Yemeni smoking hits all-time high
Yemen Observer - Sana'a, Yemen The study recorded the highest smoking rates in Yemen to date. About 86 percent of adult Yemeni males are smokers.

New cancer centers planned to meet dire need
Yemen Observer - Sana'a, Yemen There are some kinds of cancer spreading in Yemen, but their treatment is possible. These include testicular cancer, lymphomas, breast cancer, and colon cancer.

Bahrain
From Gulfnews

Fighting cancer together
‘We need to keep drumming awareness into the people. This way we can save lives’

Fighting Cancer: A Survival guide Dr Waleed Abdul-Wahab, is a Bahraini doctor working at the anziskus Krankenhaus-Charite University, Berlin, in the capacity of a consultant urologist. In 2010, the university will celebrate 300 years in the field of health services and its urology unit elebrates 100 years next year. This institution is not only the major healthcare provider and tertiary referral centre for Berlin and the surrounding regions, but is also a centre of medical excellence and cutting-edge pioneering research. The Charite Medical University boasts 13 Nobel Laureates to date.

Shaikha Suha bint Abdulrahman Al Khalifa “I was diagnosed with cancer when I was only 22, but it had gone undetected for 18 months.

Jules Sprakel “I think this campaign is a great idea. Education and awareness is the first line of prevention and the more people who read about it the more likely they are to prevent the disease, or discover it early on.

Web site update

We are still working on the finishing touches for the redesign but they are coming along. The design is much cleaner than it was before. The latest set of changes is out for final review. We are always looking for ways to make the site better so if you have any ideas feel free to let us know.

Angie
Nechtan Design
http://www.nechtan.org/

Healthcare Gains Importance as Emirati Women Prepare to Wed

AlamiConsulting - Cancer International. The Bride Show Dubai, the Middle East's largest matrimonial extravaganza attended by a record 30,000 women in 2007 is taking on a new dimension next year with the addition of Women's Healthcare, the only exhibition of its kind in the region.

Ranging from the lighter side of wellbeing, including nutrition supplements, health tourism and spas, through to screening and diagnostics for more serious female ailments, Women's Healthcare will cover a large array of products and services to cater to women from al! l walks of life. Aesthetic treatments like cosmetic and dental surgery will also be showcased at the event.

The exhibition provides the perfect venue to help women selectively pick and choose their healthcare provider by providing guidance on screening, which hospitals or clinics they can go to, who is the appropriate specialist for each condition, how much treatment costs and whether they can receive treatment in the UAE.

The Bride Show Dubai has a history of supporting initiatives like Burjuman's Breast Cancer Awareness Programme - Safe & Sound, and the show now launching its own healthcare area is a clear sign of increasing general awareness surrounding female health and market demand.

Running in partnership with The Bride Show Dubai and The Arabian Home Show from 15-18th April 2008 at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre, Women's Healthcare will form the only consumer healthcare show in the region and will feature some of the largest names in the healthcare industry.
From AME Info

Dubai Ladies Win Silver at Penang Dragon Boat Race

AlamiConsulting - Cancer International. Penang, Malaysia: A team of Dubai breast cancer survivors yesterday (June 10) won the emirate's first ever medal in the sport of dragon boat racing by clinching silver at the prestigious 28th Penang International Dragon Boat Festival in Malaysia.

Sponsored by Malaysia Airlines, the twelve-strong crew of Team Tickled Pink turned in a courageous performance to beat off the challenge of teams from Asia, spiritual home of dragon boat racing, crossing the finish line in 3m:36.69s, just eleven seconds behind current divisional world champions Currumbin's Beyond Survival from Australia.

Third home in the gruelling 500 metre race, three seconds behind the Dubai paddlers, were Malaysia's Pink Challengers in 3m:39.24s.

It was a magnificent performance from a squad of Dubai ladies who only came together to practise for the event just seven weeks ago.

Worked hard

And making it a red-letter day for Dubai sport, two of the paddling crew were Emiratis, while renowned UAE breast cancer surgeon Dr Houriya Kazim handled the boat's drumming rhythm.

"I can't describe how we all feel," smiled a tearful Yadila Nasser, who along with Ria Lufti helped propel the dragon boat debs to a surprise silver at Penang's Teluk Bahang Dam.

"We've worked so hard for this and gave it absolutely everything."

From Gulfnews

Killing the Killer Disease

AlamiConsulting - Cancer International. When she saw woman patients hesitate to get themselves examined by male doctors, a dream was conceived. Amid all the social conservatism, lack of awareness and an essentially male-dominated arena, the UAE was in bad need of a woman specialist for breast cancer - the foremost killer disease among women worldwide. Expat doctors were there, but language and cultural barriers did pretty little to get local Arab women come out and get themselves checked up, educated and made aware of the risk factors involved. Someone from within the community had to break tradition and take the first step. Dr Houriya Kazim decided to take up that challenge and fill that much-needed vacuum, writes Irum Durrani.

During her internship in Dubai's Rashid Hospital, Dr Houriya Kazim was witness to the levels of hesitation and inhibition women had in getting themselves examined by male doctors, which forced them to ignore pain and let symptoms persist. "I used to examine women behind the curtains and speak aloud to make a male doctor write the patient's report. That was really difficult". This need of local women made her go to the Royal College of Sugeons in Ireland for a fellowship in general surgery. She sub-specialised in surgical oncology, in particular, breast surgery. "It may not have been such a big issue for any country in the West, but in a society where women seldom step out and become professionals, let alone a profession requiring a lot of public interaction, Dr Kazim had taken a giant step forward.

Unlike other illnesses, breast cancer and its prevention involves sensitivities of women especially in traditional and conservative societies. But lack of awareness fuels the spread of the disease even further. "Local women are least aware of breast cancer and the cure, they are afraid of lumps cause they don't know that nine out of ten lumps are not cancerous", she said.

"Where there is will there is a way," she says with a glint of confidence in her eyes. "You can do anything in this world if you want it sincerely", says the lady who is the UAE's first lady specialist in breast surgery.

Exposure to the glitzy lifestyle and promising job offers from European countries could have lured her away from her objective. But her resolve was stronger than the lure. It could never stop her from coming back and serve her nation. "It never affected me, I always knew that I'll be coming back".

Apart from fulfilling the responsible roles of mother and wife successfully she is spearheading an effort to make local women aware of the dreaded disease. Apart from attending to patients' woes, her hands are full of awareness projects. She actively participates in BurJuman Centre's Safe and Sound Breast Cancer Campaign, of which Welcare Hospital is the medical partner.

She writes articles to spread awareness in many women-related magazines and even conducts programmes in local clubs, to reach out to the maximum number of women and apprise them about simple techniques of self-examination. Dr Kazim has been a strong proponent of young women learning to examine their breasts properly and making it a regular habit to arrest any growth and prevent the spread of any tumours. "A patient has a 95 per cent of full recovery if tumours are found before they have spread to any gland. Unfortunately, you have to find it first, and that's not happening here."

Dr Kazim recommends young women to begin having annual check ups with breast specialists. "My parents never took me to doctor till I fell sick", she confesses, "but regular check-ups are necessary." Sophisticated diagnostic tools like mammograms are also likely to miss growths because young breast tissue is dense, and even in older women there is only 20 per cent chance of a tumour being detected. Regular self examinations provide an additional level of precaution against the spread of the disease."

UAE women over the age of 45 run a higher risk of missing the warning signs of breast cancer than younger women because of the lack of education and social stigma attached to it. "Most women are even shy to examine their own breasts," laments Dr Kazim, recalling the incident of a woman patient who was to undergo a surgery. When asked on the day of surgery about her lump, she replied, "I don't know I don't want to touch my breast ." "We want women to be aware of cancer and never take any changes in their body for granted, points out the doctor, whose confidence is evident as she speaks with a glint in her eyes.

The social stigma about a woman losing her breasts to cancer makes things complex. "If you are discussing heart disease, nobody minds but for some reason breast cancer is different and this needs to change," says Dr Kazim. Current statistics show that breast cancer affects at least one in eight women but the figures are fast becoming worse and within 10 years one in three women are likely fall prey to the killer disease.

Although no official data exists on the number of women suffering from breast cancer in the UAE - much due to its diverse demographic composition - on a worldwide scale, the number of cases are definitely on the rise. "Expatriates form around 80 per cent of the country's population and some of them may be diagnosed here but treated abroad. This makes it tough to maintain a cancer registry but there are plans to set one up in the near future soon.

Despite being a committed career woman, Dr Houriya Kazim has never taken her family for granted. She married late, had babies late and feels good about the route her life has taken. But regret comes from her failure to save a school friend from breast cancer at a time when she was specialising as a breast cancer surgeon. "I was not supposed to attend her funeral, I'm a breast specialist, "she said, trying to hide her tears without success.

Dr (Ms) Houriya Kazim is Consultant General Surgeon (Breast Diseases) at Welcare Hospital, Dubai

Check out the Qatar Cancer Society

Qatar Cancer Society
P.O.Box 22944 Doha - Qatar
Telephone: 00974478128
Fax:: 00974478102
E-mail: qncs@qatar.net.qa
Website: www.qncs.org.qa

Esophageal Cancer in Qatar

Alami Consulting - Cancer International. There were 41 cases of esophageal cancer over a 7 years period in the State of Qatar. Qataris accounted for 30 (73.17%) of these cases while representing about 38% of the entire population. Also there is a slight preponderance of female cases especially am! ong Qataris.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8470302&dopt=Abstract

Cancer - Qatar

Alami Consulting - Cancer International. THE National Health Authority (NHA) CEO Dr Michael Walsh has stressed the need to find out the factors contributing to the death of non-resident visitors (temporary visa holders), which accounts for a significant part in the total fatality rate in Qatar.

http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=154717&version=1&template_id=36&parent_id=16

Cancer - Yemen

Alami Consulting - Cancer International. Worldwide, about 1,000 out of every 1 million people suffer from cancer, according to Worl! d Health Organization estimates. That suggests that out of Yemen’s population of 20 million, at least 20,000 suffer from some kind of cancer. Yet, since the National Cancer Center—the only cancer center in Yemen—was founded in 2004, it has only received 5,000 cancer cases, which suggests that the majority of people with cancer are still not diagnosed or receiving treatment.
http://www.yobserver.com/reports/10012350.html

Using Education to Fight a Killer

Alami Consulting - Cancer International. There is a silent killer in Yemen, slowly murdering thousands of people every single year. But this killer doesn’t get the same kind of attention that guns and bombs and other more dramatic killers get in the media. Yet this killer could be stopped—or at least slowed—with a little education. The name of this killer is cancer. About 1,000 people out of every 1 million worldwide suffer from cancer, according to World Health Organization estimates.

http://www.yobserver.com/editorials/10012339.html

No cancer causing agent in Abu-Dhabi tab water

By Samir Salama, Bureau Chief. Gulfnews

AlamiConsulting - Cancer International - Drinking water in Abu Dhabi is free from chromium 6, a chemical thought to cause cancer in humans when it is consumed in drinking water, an official said yesterday.

"Tests conducted on drinking water in Abu Dhabi showed that it is absolutely free from hexavalent chromium or chromium 6, which was reported to have caused cancer in laboratory animals and may cause cancer in humans," Mohammad Jalal Al Reyaisa, director of communication and information at the Abu Dhabi Food Control Agency, told Gulf News.

A two-year study conducted by the US National Toxicology Program (NTP) showed that animals given hexavalent chromium developed malignant tumours.

Previous studies have shown that hexavalent chromium also causes lung cancer in humans in certain occupational settings as a result of inhalation exposure.

The Abu Dhabi Food Control Agency, he said, worked hard on this compound and all tests on tap water, bottled water and underground waters showed no chromium contamination.

"Al Reyaisa said the UAE uses reverse osmosis systems to remove unwanted salts from seawater, including chromium, if any, to ensure pure, clean and healthy water.

"In a reverse osmosis system (ROS) the water is passed through a sediment filter to remove sediment, dirt and algae. In the next step, the water passes through pre-carbon filters, which remove chlorine and other volatile organics from the water. In the next step the water reaches a reverse osmosis membrane, which removes minerals, lead, inorganics, chemicals, salt and more."

Contamination
He said contamination occurs when victims breath air or ingest water or food from soils near waste sites or industries using chromium.

"Hexavalent chromium compounds are often used in electroplating, leather tanning, and textile manufacturing and have been found in some drinking water sources, including rivers, lakes and wells." The Environment Agency in Abu Dhabi has imposed firm restrictions on chromium compound releases to land and water in the emirate. All plants in the emirate must satisfy these conditions before obtaining licences, according to Al Reyaisa.

Hexavalent chromium has been brought to the public's attention and is best known as the contaminant exposed by campaigner Erin Brockovich, whose battle against a polluter was dramatised in the May 2000 movie of the same name.

Gulfnews

Full support to anti-cancer efforts in Kuwait

Full support to anti-cancer efforts in Kuwait

AlamiConsulting - Cancer International -- The Kuwaiti Ministry of Health devotes all potential to the creation of a better environment to combat cancer, Minister Dr. Maasouma Al-Mubarak said on Saturday.
Opening the new headquarters of the Cancer Aware Nation (CAN) Campaign, the Minister added that belief in voluntary work "is a key characteristic of civilized societies." She expressed gratitude to the campaign organizers saying that the new headquarters would be "a meeting point for both the public and the patients" as well as receiving volunteers.
Head of the campaign Fayza Al-Kharafi, head of the supervisory committee Dr. Khalid Al-Saleh and the members of the other committees attended the opening ceremony.

kuna.net

A long, hard day

It has been a long hard day here at Nechtan Design but we are pleased to announce that we believe the site is ready for its final check off. Yes, almost a month ahead of schedule! This is due to the hard work and dedication of the team at Nechtan Design. We look forward to working with Dr. Bokarhi in the next few days to get a final signoff and then we will freeze the current site and transfer it to its new home!

Angie
Nechtan Design
http://www.nechtan.org

Cancer Incidence on Rise in Saudi Arabia

Cancer is growing in Saudi Arabia with 7,000 new cases being reported each year and the figure will reach 30,000 in 15 years, according to one expert.

The presence of a large crowd at the cancer awareness programme organised by the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre (KFSHRC) in the city recently, reflected the growing concern among Saudis and expatriates about cancer, one of the world’s top killers.

On the occasion, Roche International announced a cancer research prize (SR100,000). Princess Aliaa bint Abdullah, chairp! erson of the Disabled Children’s Association’s Social Service Programme, inaugurated the event which saw leading oncologists in the Kingdom answering questions raised by the audience, mostly women.

Princess Aliaa commended the outstanding role being played by KFSHRC in enhancing cancer awareness and providing the most advanced diagnosis and treatment facilities to treat the disease.

She emphasised the need for providing better care and treatment to cancer patients. She announced the launch of a charitable society named Ayadeena Lakum‚ (Our Hands for You) to support patients suffering from cancer and other chronic diseases. The charity will soon open a cancer awareness centre in ! Jeddah.

“We will open similar centres in other parts of the country at a later stage,” she said.

Dr Ezzeldin M. Ibrahim, chief medical officer at KFSHRC, made a presentation on how to make use of Internet web sites set up by renowned medical organisations for enhancing knowledge about cancer and taking preventive measures.

Some of these sites are:

www.cancer.org/docroot/home/index.asp

www.bccancer.bc.ca

www.patient.cancerconsultants.com.

After doctors and medical personnel, the Internet is the second most important information provider for patients and relatives. Quoting a study, he said that only 13 per cent of patients and their families make use of this information resource.

Dr Mouhammed Kelta, acting chairman of the department of oncology, said common disorders such as heart disease and most cancers arise from a complex interaction between genes and environmental factors.

Saudi Arabia leads GCC Push for More Family Doctors

Raid Qusi, Arab News Gulf Cooperation Council participants who concluded three days of discussions on family medicine and primary health care here yesterday have recommended that 20 percent of all doctors in the six GCC member countries should be trained as specialists in family medicine in the next 10 years. Participants also recommended that the GCC endorse Saudi Arabia’s program to promote better access to family doctors by families by introducing more family medicine specialists in remote and smaller clinics. The six members of the GCC are Saudi Arabia, Oman, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait. The Saudi Health Ministry announced last Saturday that the Kingdom would soon revamp its primary health system and establish new centers across the Kingdom, providing specific departments in family medicine. It also said its nationwide family medicine program aimed at rehabilitating physicians to work as family medicine doctors to ensure that every Saudi family has access to a specialist in family medicine. Participants urged that trainees be enrolled in foreign scholarship programs that would be evaluated on a regular basis. The ministry said the program would reduce the large numbers of visitors to public hospitals as family medicine doctors would have the responsibility of checking on patients first before determining a transfer for further medical attention. “The family medical doctor would be responsible for following up the vaccinations of children in several families from an early age,” said Dr. Halah Al-Muhazzai, head of international relations in the Health Ministry in Bahrain. “The doctor will continue to follow up on their health conditions after they grow up, and after the girls get married and get pregnant and so forth.” Al-Muhazzai also stressed the importance of proper rehabilitation of family medicine doctors, noting that they were the ones who would diagnose patients before determining that they needed further medical attention at hospitals. Over 400 physicians, nurses, family medicine doctors, psychologists, and sociologists from GCC countries participated in the Sixth Gulf Conference on Primary Health Care and the seventh Scientific Meeting for Family and Community Medicine entitled “Future of Family Medicine and Primary Health Care in the GCC.” Saudi Minister of Health Dr. Hamad Al-Manie inaugurated the conference on Monday. It was held under the auspices of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah. Other recommendations from the conference urged that health sectors in GCC countries be revamped on the basis of a public health system, which works on the necessities and understandings of family medicine. Participants also urged that physicians who wish to volunteer in primary health programs be supported. In addition, they recommended that family medicine and primary health programs in the private sector be better organized. Participants urged GCC countries to take advantage of Islamic endowments and other international experiences to better finance family medicine and primary health programs. The recommendations have been sent to the executive office of the Council of Health Ministers in the GCC. Princess Sara bint Musaed ibn Abdul Aziz, one of the participants, lauded the Saudi initiative, saying that the strategy would put the Kingdom on the top of the list of countries that are pioneers in family health care.