Novartis Pharma Egypt Announces Results of ‘Count Us’ Survey on Advanced Breast Cancer in Egypt

Novartis, in cooperation with the Breast Cancer Foundation of Egypt (BCFE), held a press conference to announce the results of the ‘Count Me’ survey.The survey was conducted by Novartis and the BCFE on a wide group of advanced breast cancer patients in Egypt, among seven countries worldwide.

The conference events included a reveal of writer and cartoonist Islam Gawish’s caricature magazine portraying the results of the survey, through characters expressing the challenges faced by women living with advanced breast cancer.The conference was followed by a working group composed of various breast cancer stakeholders, with a focus on finding solutions to each of the challenges presented by the survey results.

Dr. Prof. Mohamed Shaalan, Professor of Surgical Oncology and Head of the Breast Surgery Department at the NCI and Founder of the Breast Cancer Foundation of Egypt, said, “The initiative to raise awareness on breast cancer,since its launch in January 2016, in cooperation with Novartis, takes it upon itself to exert every effort possible on the community, professional, and research levels to resolve issues that face patients.”

Dr.SherifAmin,President of Novartis Oncology, Egypt, Libya,Tunisia, Morocco, said that, “The survey aims to identify the problems and concerns of advanced breast cancer patients.The results of the survey will complete the ‘Count Us’ initiative,aimed at providing support for women living with the disease, and engaging with all stakeholders to find practical solutions to them.”

During the conference, Dr. Ibtisam Saad El Din, Professor of Clinical Oncology, Cairo University said that over half of the women said that time ends family support.Today,most women feel that no one empathises with their suffering.Two-thirds of Egyptian women with advanced breast cancer, 67%, say they generally feel like no one understands what they are going through, and more than 2 out of 5 women with advanced breast cancer in Egypt, 45%, feel isolated.”