National cancer registry aims to cut deaths by a quarter

Calls for more early testing and better awareness projects

DUBAI // A new national index for cancer deaths will help to reduce the number of lives lost to the disease by enabling targeted screening, doctors say.

The Ministry of Health and Prevention is collecting data for the index and aims to reduce mortality by 25 per cent by 2021. In 2014, 700 men and 500 women died of cancer in the UAE, the World Health Organisation said.

Dr Mohanad Diab, oncologist at NMC Royal and NMC Specialty Hospitals, said tests and awareness programmes were the most effective ways of tackling cancer.

Dr Diab said about 30 per cent of breast cancers were detected during routine screenings.

“We definitely need the cancer index, especially in sub-special- ities,” he said. “There is a cancer registry at present but it exists in government hospitals and private hospitals are not included. We need data from private and public sectors.” An executive committee of private and government healthcare providers will work to cut cancer deaths, said Dr Muna Al Kuwari, director of specialised health care at the ministry.

Last year, the WHO said the number of new cancer cases in the Eastern Mediterranean region, which includes the Middle East, could rise to 961,098 by 2030, from 555,318 in 2012.

“What we know from prior experience is that having the data will help to keep track of the different forms of the disease and help to understand what kinds of cancer are affecting the population,” said Dr Issam Badaoui, medical director for International SOS.

“This is an excellent initiative and a good target. We have to go back to prevention as early detection and prevention is key.”

Dr Badaoui advised people not to smoke, to limit their alcohol consumption and ensure they had enough exercise to reduce their risks of developing cancer.

Dr Norbert Dreier, oncologist at Burjeel Hospital in Abu Dhabi, said a national cancer registry had been in the planning for years but data had not been available from all of the emirates.

The Health Authority Abu Dhabi says 1,589 new cancer cases were reported in 2013. There were 390 deaths, of which 34 per cent were nationals and 66 per cent were expatriates.

In 2014, 700 men and 500 women died of cancer in the UAE