Dr. Khaled Al-Saleh: Awareness and Knowledge... The First Line of Defense Against Breast Cancer

The National Campaign for Cancer Awareness (Kaan) announced the launch of its annual breast cancer awareness initiative, under the slogan “Your Awareness… The Pink Safety Belt,” starting on September 30, as part of its efforts to promote early detection and prevention. Dr. Khalid Al-Saleh, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of Kaan, told KUNA that the campaign continues its nearly two-decade-long awareness journey, during which it has accumulated extensive expertise in disseminating health awareness and reinforcing the importance of early detection. Al-Saleh noted that this year’s initiative builds on a broad experience in which Kaan successfully trained 197,000 high school students in self-examination and early detection. He highlighted the development of a strategy to expand awareness efforts to include hundreds of thousands of high school and university students, as well as employees, volunteers, women with disabilities, and cancer survivors. Emphasizing the critical role of awareness and knowledge as the first line of defense against breast cancer, Al-Saleh stressed that they are fundamental pillars for prevention and enhancing the chances of early detection and recovery, noting that breast cancer is the most prevalent type of cancer among women in Kuwait. For her part, Dr. Hessa Al-Shahin, Member of the Board of Directors of Kaan and Head of the Breast Cancer Initiative, affirmed that the success of awareness efforts depends on community partnership and the integration of roles among various entities, pointing to the participation of a wide team of specialists and volunteers in implementing the initiative. She added that the objective goes beyond providing health information, aiming to transform correct knowledge into daily behavior and a lifestyle culture that promotes prevention and early detection.