SHARJAH, (Pakistan Point News - 18th Jun, 2018) Eleven positive cases of breast cancer have been diagnosed as a direct result of the 2018 Pink Caravan Ride, the pan-UAE breast cancer awareness campaign, organised by the Friends of Cancer Patients, FoCP.
From a total of nearly 8,000 screenings and clinical examinations, doctors and specialists referred women, aged between 30 and 62 years for further examinations, who tested positive.
Four of the 11 women were residents of Sharjah, four of Ajman, two of Dubai and one of Ras al- Khaimah, demonstrating the effectiveness of the campaign across the emirates. The 8th edition of the Pink Caravan Ride conducted 47 mammography tests at its mobile medical clinics, along with 254 mammography tests and 97 ultrasound examinations in partnership with private healthcare providers.
The women’s ages covered more than three decades, highlighting the need for regular check-ups and increased awareness. Two of those who were diagnosed are in their early-60s, four in their mid-50s, four in their 40s and one woman is just 30 years old.
The results also showed a wide range of nationalities, with three Filipinos, two Sudanese, an Iraqi, a Jordanian, an Egyptian, a Moroccan, an Indian and a Palestinian woman now receiving treatment.
This year’s Pink Caravan Ride was the most comprehensive to date, offering its services to 687 more people than last year, and for the first time, the Medical Awareness Committee kept a number of the fixed clinics operational for nine days after the campaign concluded, adding 2,635 extra check-ups to the final tally.
Reem bin Karam, Head of the Pink Caravan’s Higher Steering Committee, said, "To be able to help these 11 women is a hugely gratifying part of the Pink Caravan campaign, and has potentially been a life-saving exercise for them. Equally, the increasing willingness of so many people to undertake screenings has been overwhelming and that reflects our key message of awareness.
"The cross-section of the community that these women come from shows that nobody is immune to breast cancer, whatever their background. Bearing in mind that the youngest case is just 30 years old, the take-up of the Pink Caravan Ride’s offer of more than 5,000 clinical screenings for people below-40 is another indicator of heightened awareness.
"Although breast cancer is among the leading fatal diseases in women, 98 percent of cases are curable if detected early and that realisation is sweeping across the emirate each year, resulting in greater participation and greater understanding."
