Doctors gather for UAE's first breast cancer conference

The congress is being held by the Emirates Medical Association (EMA) under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council, and in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Dubai Health Authority.

Oncologists, surgeons, radiologists, pathologists, family doctors and nurses attending the event will hear lectures, and take part in workshops dedicated to best practice in the screening, diagnosis, treatment, and after care of the disease, which affects one in 12 women worldwide.

Dr. Ali Al Numairy, EMA President, explained:

"The conference will offer health care professionals in the UAE the chance to learn about the gold-standard management of breast cancer, bringing them up to date with the latest in imaging, pathology, and treatment regimens for different types of breast cancer."

A special feature of the conference will be US-style daily "Tumour Boards", where delegates will be invited to take part in discussions on individual breast cancer cases - talking through the diagnosis, based on imaging and pathology reports, and determining best treatment of an anonymous patient.

Helping to run the "boards", and giving presentations will be seven breast cancer specialists from the US MD Anderson Cancer Centre, one of the world's leading cancer centers.

"The tumour boards are an integral part of breast cancer care in the US, and have been shown to improve development of individualized treatment plans, that ultimately has a positive impact on long term survival," said Congress President, Dr. Shaheenah Dawood, a senior medical oncologist in the UAE.

"By bringing these boards here we hope to stimulate interesting discussions, allowing active participation of all members involved in the management of women diagnosed with breast cancer. From the family practitioner, who typically is the first person to see the patient, to treatment from an oncologist," she added.

"We are extremely honoured to have specialists from MD Anderson with us at the first-ever multi-disciplinary conference on breast cancer. Their participation means that delegates will get to ask questions of world-class experts in their field, which will in turn see breast cancer care improve here," said Dr. Mohammed Abbas Al Ali, Chair of the EMA's Oncology Society.

The conference at the Al Murooj Rotana in Dubai from October 29-31 has been endorsed by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and is the final event of a month-long EMA campaign to raise awareness of breast cancer among healthcare professionals and the public.

All delegates will receive Certified Medical Education points that can go towards their professional re-registration. Please go to the EMA's dedicate breast cancer website www.oncologysociety-ema.com for more information on the conference and general information on breast cancer.