Qatar Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Are You At Risk?

Pink October marks the International Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Qatar and around the world. Understanding cancer is one of the most important forms of prevention against it. According to the American Cancer Society, one in eight women are diagnosed with breast cancer.

Some women choose to fight the battle with treatments and prayers, some choose to rely on love of their family and their faith in healing, some go out there and fight by living to the fullest. Whichever woman you are, we salute you for your bravery, your commitment, and your faith in healing!

Read: Pretty in Pink: My Breast Friend

Qatar Cancer Society has offered the latest statistics and information on prevention and risk factors to avoid. Here are some of the highlights:

Family history is still one of the biggest risk factors of breast cancer

Obviously, you can’t change your family’s medical history or your genes, but there are many ways to change up your lifestyle to help save yourself and your family. According to the president and chairman of the board of Qatar Cancer Society, Dr. Sheikh Khalid bin Jaber Al Thani, the risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer increases 3 folds for those with a family history of the illness.

According to the latest statistics from the Ministry of Health, around 300 breast cancer cases have been reported, 25% of which are Qataris nationals. An increase in diagnosis has been seen for women between the ages of 15 and 19. However, the highest diagnosis rate is found in women of 45 to 49 years of age. Luckily about 70% of these cases were diagnosed at an early stage making recovery that much easier.

Your diet is increasing your chances of having cancer

Food can be considered a double-edged sword. You can’t have too much of it, neither can you have too little, you also can’t have too much of one kind without really hurting your body. Cancer cells feed on your confusion. More specifically, they feed on what we all love but feel guilty to admit, sugar and carbohydrates. Once these are consumed, insulin levels in your body spike. Consistent spikes of insulin can cause your body to resist it, and perhaps leaving you at risk of diabetes. Your body causes increase in estrogen and inflammations which help cancer cells grow and spread.

Being overweight or underweight might also leave you at risk of Breast Cancer. According to Qatar Cancer Society, spiked insulin levels and estrogen levels increase your risk of storing fat and increase chances of breast cancer to spread. Avoid processed and colored food, and soy products as they contain the most amounts of sugars and plant estrogens in soy. Make sure you consume lots of fruits and vegetables, take more vitamin A foods like egg yolks, milk, and liver. Consume healthy fats that support your digestion like olives, avocados and coconuts.

Early detection is made easier with more clinics offering

More and more clinics and hospitals around Qatar are offering low-priced or even free checkups for breast cancer. Some even offer training and informational booklets to study at home. Qatar Cancer Society suggests that having a checkup done every 6 months should allow you to feel safe, especially if you have a family history of the illness or think that you are at high risk of it.

Dr. Sheikh Khalid bin Jaber Al Thani stated that although preventative strategies can contribute to reducing the number of cases, those strategies do not get rid of all cases of cancer. Therefore, early detection of breast cancer and improving survival rates are the corner stones of fighting this disease.

Book now with a doctor for a checkup. Breast cancer isn’t the only cancer that might affect you!

New treatments are proven to be affective

Chemotherapy is one of the most well-known treatments of cancer used around the world. However, other treatments have become available to help in the fight against this plague of an illness. Lump removal and whole breast removal is now seeing more success, with the aid of skilled surgeons who can make the healing process easier.

Radiation therapy, hormonal therapy, and breast reconstructive therapy are now available in Qatar. Ask the best surgeons about this here! Learn more about new treatments by following our blog!

Regular exercise is paramount to maintaining a healthy cell count

Diet and exercise seem to be the two words that consistently go hand in hand when discussing any disease. This is because one cannot function without the other. Qatar Cancer Society’s General Manager, Mariam Al-Nuaimi said that 20-30 minutes of regular exercise at 5 times a week not only reduces your risk of developing cancer, but lowers your stress levels, insulin levels, and protects you from diabetes.

Read: World Diabetes Day - Protect Your Loved Ones