Breast cancer hits women earlier in UAE

Women in the UAE tend to develop breast cancer at least a decade earlier than their counterparts in the West, according to a study.

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Women in the UAE tend to develop breast cancer at least a decade earlier than their counterparts in the West, according to a study. Cancer is the third leading cause of death in the UAE, with breast cancer being the most common malignancy among females, the study, conducted by the Dubai-based Centre for Arab Genomic Studies and published on WAM, the state news agency, concluded. The study is based on national statistics on cancers dating back to 1981.

Beginning last year, all Emirati women older than 40 have been required to undergo breast-cancer screening in order to renew their Thiqa health insurance policies. Medical professionals say that early detection is vital to the successful treatment of many forms of cancer. Lymphoma is the most frequent childhood malignancy, according to the study, which said paediatric cancers account for 9.5 per cent of all cases of the disease in the UAE.

hdajani@thenational.ae