Shaikh Dr. Khalid bin Jabr Al-Thani

Qatar Cancer Society (QCS) concluded its participation in the eighth Gulf joint Cancer Awareness Week “under the Gulf Union Against Cancer in cooperation with Gulf Centre for Cancer Control and Prevention.

Each year, the first week of February has been approved as a Gulf Cancer Awareness Week that aims to fight risk factors to reduce infection rates, encourage early detection to increase recovery rates, and unify media messages in the GCC.

The eighth Gulf joint Cancer Awareness Week aims to  Introduce the types of cancer that can be detected early, correct misconceptions about cancer, introduce the national programs for early detection, and the services provided by associations of public interest to cancer patients and their families.

The Gulf Awareness Week included several programs and activities that QCS launched, the most notably activating the electronic brochure “in all languages ” We can,  in addition to publishing stories of hope for people living with cancer on many platforms.

Several awareness workshops on cancer, promoting healthy lifestyles in the community, and launching a daily awareness competition on social media.

His excellence, Shaikh Dr. Khalid bin Jabr Al-Thani, chairman of Qatar cancer society, stressed the importance of this week in raising awareness among the Gulf citizen about cancer, in light of the high numbers of people infected with it, not only in the GCC countries but also at the global level. Hence the need to unify media messages in the countries, as well as encourage early detection of disease and the adoption of a healthy lifestyle among all segments of society through exercise and healthy food.

According to the Qatar National Cancer Registry, 2,525 new cancer cases were diagnosed in 2019. The five most common types of cancer newly diagnosed in Qatar are breast, colorectal, thyroid, prostate, and leukemia – According to the latest incidence rates, 1 in 5 people in Qatar may be diagnosed with cancer before age 75. He added.

He explained, “Colorectal cancer is the most common among men in the Gulf, while breast cancer is the most common among women in the GCC countries. The Gulf Cancer Control Center predicted the emergence of 21,000 new cancer cases among GCC citizens by 2030.”

Focuses on the charity’s keenness in all events and occasions that achieve its goals in raising awareness about cancer, supporting people with cancer, professional development, and scientific research, and Qatar Cancer Society participated in this event to raise awareness about cancer-causing risk factors and encourage a healthy lifestyle among all segments of society; in particular, “40% protection; 40% treatment” is organized in the first week of February every year. He added.