Breast cancer survival rate in Kuwait reaches 90.1%

KUWAIT CITY, Oct 15: The Ministry of Health revealed that the age-standardized incidence rate of breast cancer reached 70.1 cases per 100,000 individuals among Kuwaiti women, compared to 45.7 cases among non-Kuwaiti women, while the survival rate for registered cases reached 90.1 percent. Citing data from the National Breast Cancer Early Detection Program, the ministry stated that the average age at diagnosis is 56 years old for Kuwaiti women and 51 years old for non-Kuwaiti women.

Cases among women under the age of 40 accounted for 8.9 percent of the total among Kuwaitis and 13.1 percent among non-Kuwaitis. These figures underscore the importance of raising awareness about the disease and not ignoring symptoms that may require medical examination. These details were unveiled in a visual presentation at an event held at Jaber Hospital to promote early breast cancer detection. The event, titled “Integrated Specialties... For Her... Together to Promote Early Breast Cancer Detection,” was inaugurated by Assistant Undersecretary for Technical Affairs at the ministry Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Mutairi, with Assistant Undersecretary for Public Health Affairs Dr. Munther Al-Hasawi in attendance.

In an awareness lecture delivered during the event, Head of the Radiology Department at Amiri Hospital and Head of the National Breast Cancer Early Detection Program Dr. Asma Hussain Al-Failakawi indicated that breast cancer is the most common cancer among women globally. She said around 2.3 million new cases are recorded annually -- about 25 percent of all cancer cases among women. She added that according to the data presented in the lecture, the age-standardized incidence rate in Kuwait exceeds the global average.

She also disclosed that by the end of 2015, 12 radiologists and seven breast imaging technicians completed the sixmonth training program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York, as part of efforts to develop medical and technical expertise in this field. In a related development, Kuwait University, in collaboration with the Cancer Aware Nation (CAN) campaign, organized a breast cancer awareness day, which included a discussion panel and health awareness exhibition, aimed to transform awareness from information to daily habit that protects women. Dr. Hessa Al-Shaheen, head of the breast cancer awareness initiative and board member at CAN, emphasized that the incidence of breast cancer relative to other cancer types has reached a very high level—approaching 83.4 percent among Kuwaiti and non-Kuwaiti women—as per the 2022 statistics from Kuwait Cancer Control Center. She asserted that the greatest success lies in detecting the disease in the first and second stages, which have very high recovery rates.

She then explained that even if the disease reaches advanced stages, treatment no longer carries the same fear regarding surgery or aesthetic impact, thanks to significant advancements in science, technology and surgical techniques, the process has become far less daunting than it once was. She highlighted smoking as a major risk factor, hence, a comprehensive smoking cessation clinic opened in 2024, encouraging people of all ages, not just the youths. She affirmed that free nicotine patches are provided to help lower blood nicotine levels, as well as a device that measures nicotine levels in the body to monitor progress. She said carbon monoxide levels are expected to gradually decrease after one week, and positive results are being achieved.

By Mohammad Ghanem

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff