Illness expected to rise in the UAE

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Oncologists are already reporting an increase of cancer cases in children and of prostate cancer in men.

Dubai HospitalDubai Hospital

"Lymphomas in children are increasing, such as Burkett's Lymphoma. Another common one is acute leukaemia [blood cancer]. Some of the children with Burkett's [who are usually under the age of 5] tend to come in late, but the cancers are usually easy to treat," he said.

According to a recent news report, 120 children in the UAE are diagnosed with cancer each year. The most common cancer among children is leukaemia, comprising 50 per cent of cases. One in five is under the age of 15.

Cancer is more likely to affect the very old.

"I expect prostate cancer to rise [especially]. It is already increasing by a bit, but I'm expecting a dramatic increase in 10 years, when the population ages," Khalifa said.

The bulk of cancer cases received at Dubai HospitalDubai Hospital, which is the only cancer treatment centre in the northern emirates, are among adults, comprising mostly breast cancer, colorectal cancer and lymphomas. The most common cancers in the UAE are colorectal and lung cancers, while the most common cancer among women is breast cancer, according to the Ministry of Health.

Dr Khalifa said treatment for breast cancer was still problematic, not because treatment was unavailable, but because patients "disregard the symptoms until too late".

"Women usually discover a lump while they are in the shower. Some wait weeks, months before they go to a doctor," he said.

Hiding

"There are still too many who are hiding breast cancer," he added.

Other cancers are hard to discover, thus making it hard to treat, such as liver cancer, pancreatic cancer and lung cancer.

These cancers have the average life expectancy of seven months, with liver cancer being the most deadly at four months.

However, these cancers, with exception of lung cancer, are uncommon.

Khalifa said all types of cancer are expected to rise, along with the global trend. He blamed lifestyle and environmental factors for the expected increase.

"The world has higher radiation levels now, and people are also living more unhealthy lifestyles. They have bad diets, smoke cigarettes, consume too many artificial things that are carcinogenic, such as artificial sweeteners," he said.

Medicines can also lead to cancer. These include tumour-necrosis factor (TNF) blockers used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and steroids for eczema, and usually carry a black box warning to that effect. Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration warned doctors to look out for cancers among children using TNF blockers after 30 such cases were reported.

I expect prostate cancer to rise [especially]. It is already increasing a bit, but I'm expecting a dramatic increase in 10 years."
Dr Fareed Khalifa
Oncologist

My father died three years ago, three months after he was diagnosed. I was surprised when I found out because he was so strong. The onlytell-tale sign was that he had a mild cough for a year so I told him to get it checked out. When he died, I lost my rock. I used to go to him for advice. Now, I'm on my own. My dad was a heavy smoker. I used to smoke but quit when my children were born, but I wouldn't start again because of what happened to my father."
Mohammad Jamal, Pakistan,
Lost his father to lung cancer

My uncle was like a second father to me. He died two years ago, within six months of being diagnosed. We were surprised he had cancer, although he had a persistent cough and had lost a shocking amount of weight fast. We didn't tell him at first, but when he did, he refused chemotherapy. His death is still very painful for me. I quit smoking when I saw what my uncle went through."
Mohammad Abid Haroon, Pakistan
Lost his uncle to lung cancer

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