A walk in Damascus to Raise Awareness about Breast Cancer Early Detection

DAMASCUS-As part of the National Campaign for Early Detection of Breast Cancer, a walk was held in Damascus city on Wednesday amid official and civil participation.

The walk, which was organized by Damascus Health Directorate, kicked off from Zuheir Habi Health Center in al-Jebah area and finished off at al-Sabaa Bahrat Square.

Speaking to reporters, Head of Damascus Health Directorate Mohamed Ramez Orfali said the walk aims at educating women and inviting them to take the necessary tests for the early detection of breast cancer.

 For her part, Head of Zuher Habi Health Center Shahinaz al-Olabi said that the Center conducts lectures and awareness sessions to train women on breast self-examination as the first step in the early detection, especially for women under the age of 40, as well as medical examinations and echo and mammogram screenings.

In turn, Head of the Reproductive Health Program at Damascus Health Directorate, Dr. Bassam al-Ayoubi said that about 1,000 health centers distributed in various provinces provide free medical examination for women and 36 centers which provide round-the-year examination for the early detection of breast cancer.

In October, several countries around the world go pink to remind women of early detection of the breast cancer which is considered as the most common type of cancer among women and the fifth most common cause of death, with about 1.7 million new diagnosed cases annually and 571,000 deaths, according to the latest global statistics.

In 2018, there were over 2 million new cases around the world.

According to the World Cancer Research Fund, the survival rates among women with breast cancer have generally improved, although they vary from country to another due to early detection rates, access to appropriate medical care and improved treatment strategies.