"Kaan" campaign organizes workshop with experts from Gulf Cancer Federation

Kuwait City, 19 October (KUNA) -- The Kuwait National Campaign for Cancer Awareness (KANC) organized an online workshop via Zoom today, Monday, titled “Breast Cancer 2026 – From Evidence to Practice,” with the participation of experts from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Cancer Union from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Kuwait.

In a press release, KANC stated that the campaign’s board chairman, Dr. Khaled Al-Saleh, emphasized that the workshop embodies the importance of regional cooperation among GCC member states, medical centers, and specialists in confronting breast cancer. Al-Saleh added that this Gulf integration enables access to the latest new medical technologies in breast cancer treatment, noting that the exchange of expertise and knowledge among medical staff raises the level of care provided to patients in the region.

For his part, KANC member Dr. Ahmed Al-Saleh said, according to the statement, that while breast cancer treatment is witnessing rapid development, translating these advances into better and more effective outcomes for patients requires close collaboration among multiple specialties, continuous professional development, and treatment tailored to the needs of each individual patient. He added that the scientific program brought together a distinguished group of experts in medical, radiation, and surgical oncology, highlighting that the objective was to highlight contemporary treatment strategies, explore their practical implications, and enhance knowledge exchange among healthcare professionals across the region.

Al-Saleh pointed out that the workshop concluded with an interactive session titled “Ask the Experts: Managing Breast Cancer in 2026,” during which participants were encouraged to submit their questions, providing an opportunity to discuss practical challenges and exchange perspectives with the speakers.

For her part, Dr. Maha Al-Sindi, medical oncology consultant and head of the training department at the Bahrain Cancer Center within the Royal Medical Services, stressed that this field is rapidly moving toward selecting treatment based on the biological characteristics of the tumor, rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach for all patients. Al-Sindi added that this trend helps physicians determine the most appropriate options for each case, taking into account treatment efficacy, side effects, and the patient’s response. She noted that accurate diagnosis and tests that determine the nature of the tumor play a pivotal role in selecting the appropriate treatment and improving therapeutic outcomes.

For his part, Professor Meshboub Al-Asiri, Director General of the National Cancer Center under the Saudi Health Council and Chief Executive Officer of the Saudi Proton Therapy Center, said that modern technologies have enabled the reduction of treatment duration and the number of sessions for some patients, while maintaining efficacy and safety in accordance with scientific evidence and patient selection criteria. He added that recent developments allow for the delivery of radiation therapy within a shorter period in suitable cases, noting that some technologies enable directing radiation to the area most in need of treatment, thereby reducing exposure of healthy tissues to radiation and limiting side effects. Al-Asiri emphasized the importance of selecting the appropriate technology for each patient, stressing the need to achieve a balance between disease control and preserving quality of life.

For his part, Dr. Ous Al-Asiri, consultant in oncoplastic breast surgery and endocrine surgery, and head of the surgical department at Al-Sabah Hospital, said, according to the statement, that the modern approach focuses on reducing surgical intervention in lymph nodes whenever the patient’s condition permits, marking a significant shift in breast cancer surgery from focusing on increasing the extent of surgical intervention to selecting the adequate and safe procedure for each case.

He added that this approach aims to avoid broader procedures when they are not necessary and to limit potential complications such as arm swelling, pain, and difficulty in movement. (End) M.N.M./K.H.H.