Under the patronage of Dr. Bandar Knawy, CEO of National Guard Health Affairs and President of King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, the 4th Middle East Best of CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium was held January 6-7th at the Four Seasons Hotel, Riyadh Saudi Arabia. The Session covered several different precise lectures all which addressed numerous aspects of breast cancer. Breast cancer is the most common form of malignancy among women and follows lung cancer as the second leading cause of cancer death.
Through the concerted efforts of many people, the Symposium was a success in which the efforts of cancer research were promoted and excellence rewarded. An impressive number of Abstracts were received which indicated the growth of awareness for the urgent need for cancer research. Many of the abstracts discussed common terminology such as HER2 and FISH.
HER2 is a test which if positive means that there is a protein called human epidermal growth factor receptor – 2. This receptor increases the risk of cancer cells growing and producing an excess of HER2 due to gene mutations (Mayo). The FISH test is Florescence in situ hybridization which basically maps the genetic material in a person’s cells to show if there are extra copies of the HER2 gene. If the FISH test is positive, it suggests that the cancer may respond to specific treatments.
Dr. Ahmed Saadedin, Consultant Clinical Oncologist, Riyadh Armed Forces Hospital, KSA, presented an abstract on the use of chemotherapy during pregnancy. Test results and cases given in the abstract discussed animal studies proving Docetaxel to be toxic to both embryos and fetuses. However there was a singular case of a Saudi woman who had received chemotherapy while pregnant. After the pregnancy was discovered the course of treatment was altered until the child was delivered by c-section at 32 weeks. The child was born with a normal weight and apgar score and had not shown any abnormalities in either psychological or physiological profiles. While this study was clear it is still strongly recommended that TAC not be administered during pregnancy.
Dr. Omid Farokhzad, Associate Professor in anesthesia, Harvard Medical School in Boston, U.S.A, presented an abstract on the use of nanotechnology in biomedical applications. The latest research indicates that by altering the size and composition of the layers of the nanoshell, particles can be designed to either absorb or scatter light which basically changes its function. Most importantly, these particles can be attached to antibodies and other bio-molecules for targeting specific sites. It is hoped that this science will help to modify medications currently in use to increase treatment success.
Another very important abstract was a presentation on the effect of Vitamin D on risks of cancer let alone overall health levels. Dr. Llhama Jafarli, Staff Physician at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, KSA, presented a study from the U.S. which gave evidence that women who took vitamin D had a 60% lower risk of developing breast cancer along with colon and other cancers. Vitamin D is usually found in some foods such as eggs, salmon, tuna, mackerel and sardines. The other method of increasing Vitamin D levels is to expose oneself to a decent amount of time of sunshine. This doesn’t mean to go sunbathing and get a tan which might then turn to skin cancer.
This is spending several minutes a day in average sunlight. Because of some environmental factors such as escaping dry desert heat by staying indoors, or northern European areas which have minimal sunlight hours, many people actually do not receive the necessary amount of time (http://www.nilu.no/data/inc/leverfil.cfm?id=20659&type=6 ) in the sunlight. For some people that could be only 15 minutes yet others may need close to an hour. However, the benefits of Vitamin D are so great that the efforts should be made. The Canadian Cancer Society decided to recommend Vitamin D supplements for all of its population due to the increasing amount of evidence proving that Vitamin D decreases the incidence of breast, colon and other cancers.
Dr. Omalkhair Abualkhair, Chairperson of the Scientific and Organizing Committee thanked all of the speakers, chairpersons and delegates for attending the Symposium during busy schedules. Additionally many thanks were given for all the effort extended by the many people who shared in the formation of the success of the Symposium and all the support staff. As mentioned in a previous news post, three of the abstracts were chosen and awarded accordingly in an effort to encourage more scientific cancer research. Finally, an official website (www.bestofsabcs.com.sa) was launched as an important medium to generate awareness of the Symposium and its influence. As a final point it is vital to remember that “Early detection saves lives.”