QCS joins Gulf cancer awareness week

Qatar Cancer Society (QCS) participated in the 8th “Gulf Cancer Awareness Week under the theme 'Gulf Union Against Cancer' in co-operation with Gulf Centre for Cancer Control and Prevention.
Each year, the first week of February is marked as Gulf Cancer Awareness Week to fight cancer risk factors to reduce the disease rates, encourage early detection to increase recovery rates and unify media messages in the GCC.
The 8th Gulf joint Cancer Awareness Week aimed to raise awareness about the types of cancer that can be detected early, correct misconceptions about cancer, introduce the national programmes for early detection and the services provided by associations of public interest to cancer patients and their families.
The Gulf Awareness Week included several programmes and activities that QCS launched, the most notably activating the electronic brochure in all languages in addition to publishing stories of hope for people living with cancer.
Several awareness workshops were held on cancer, promoting healthy lifestyle in the community and launching a daily awareness competition on social media.
Sheikh Dr Khalid bin Jabr al-Thani, chairman of QCS stressed the importance of this week in raising awareness among Gulf citizens about cancer, in light of the high numbers of people infected with it, not only in the GCC countries but also globally. He highlighted the need to unify media messages in the countries, as well as encourage early detection of disease and the adoption of a healthy lifestyle among all segments of society through exercise and healthy food.
According to the Qatar National Cancer Registry, 2,525 new cancer cases were diagnosed in 2019. The five most common types of cancer diagnosed in Qatar are breast, colorectal, thyroid, prostate, and leukemia. According to the latest incidence rates, one in five people in Qatar may be diagnosed with cancer before the age of 75, he added.
"Colorectal cancer is the most common among men in the Gulf, while breast cancer is the most common among women in the GCC countries. The Gulf Cancer Control Centre predicts the emergence of 21,000 new cancer cases among GCC citizens by 2030," added, Sheikh Dr Khalid.