Fighting cancer stigma

In the fight against breast cancer, men too have an important role to play, to protect their spouses, mothers, and daughters.

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A killer is stalking the UAE, made all the more dangerous because it is shrouded in silence. That killer is breast cancer, one of the most prevalent causes of death among women in the Emirates, and in many cases stigma and ignorance are also to blame.

Breast cancer is deadly in every country, but in many places death rates are falling. The principal reason is that comprehensive screening programmes identify the ailment at an early stage.

In cases of early diagnosis, the survival rate is an encouraging 98 per cent, but as with all cancers, the chance of death goes up sharply if the disease lurks in the body undetected. Officials who are striving to make testing the norm in this country are facing considerable challenges, as The National reports today.

Across the region, cultural factors have impeded widespread regular screening. Women may be reluctant to be examined; doctors tell of husbands who do not approve of check-ups or who leave wives diagnosed with the disease. Some even believe that cancer is contagious.

Accordingly, officials are using October, global Breast Cancer Awareness Month, to urge men to protect their spouses and female relatives by encouraging vigilance. Cultural sensitivities can be honoured by the use of female medical staff and in other ways. The point is that men as well as women have a vital role in battling this killer.