Sunday, May 21, 2017

Sharjah: The seventh edition of the Pink Caravan Ride detected 10 cases of breast cancer during its annual ride in March.

The awareness campaign offered free screenings, mammograms and medical tests to 7,108 people across all seven emirates, with the aim of promoting early detection.

The 10 detected cases of malignancy have been referred to the Friends of Cancer Patients (FoCP), organisers of the campaign. Another eight cases are currently awaiting biopsy results and detailed medical analyses.

The diagnosed cases fall under the 34 to 62 years’ age group, and were reported to be residents from Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah and Dubai.

The breakdown of the 10 patients are, two from Palestine, and one each from the UAE, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Syria, Pakistan, India and the Netherlands.

“All 10 breast cancer cases reported in this edition have been quickly transferred to FoCP, who will follow-up with the patients keeping in mind their overall physical and mental well-being. Towards this end, we will also provide counselling and strong emotional support for patients and their families,” said Reem Bin Karam, chairperson of the Pink Caravan’s Higher Organising Committee.

Bin Karam highlighted the importance of early detection, pointing out that studies indicate 98 per cent of cases of breast cancer can be treated successfully if detected early. “This gives us immense hope to think of a bright, cancer-free future for our patients,” she added.

Referring to the eight cases currently under investigation, Bin Karam pointed out that studies also show that eight out of 10 tumours in the breast are benign, which gives the patients a high chance that their biopsy results are cancer free.

“Our fingers are crossed for a positive outcome, as we wait for the final medical reports,” she said.

Held under the theme ‘Seven Years … For Seven Emirates’, the seventh annual Pink Caravan Ride broke all previous records, and registered the highest number of people examined. It offered free screenings, mammograms and medical tests to 7,108 people, of which 5,991 were women, and 1,117 were men. The campaign included 123 clinics operating out of the seven emirates with a team of 65 medical experts.

Box:

Pink Caravan statistics

Since 2011, the Pink Caravan Ride has provided:

— Free clinical examinations to 48,874 people (including 39,231 women and 9,643 men)

— A total of 14,278 free mammograms

— A total of 1,802 ultra sounds screenings

— Free clinical examinations in 578 clinics

— The campaign has successfully diagnosed 42 cases of breast cancer (including 41 women and one man)

— Has travelled 1,640 kilometres across the seven emirates

— Has seen the participation of 492+ riders, 700+ volunteers

Staff Report

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