Data gathered by The Filipino Times from various hospitals in the UAE reveal that the number of Filipinas being diagnosed of breast cancer has slightly decreased this year.
From almost 4 out of 10 Filipina breast cancer patients in 2019, the incidence rate of the disease among female OFWs in the country has gone down to 3 out of 10 from January to September 2020.
However, TFT observed a notable difference between the age groups in 2018 and 2020. The age bracket of Filipinas detected with breast cancer this year is at 25-30 compared to 35-50 two years ago. This means that Filipina expats being afflicted with the disease in the UAE are getting younger. The 25-30 age group is also almost twice the average age of Asian women being diagnosed of breast cancer, which is at 40-49 as per a 2015 study of Xi’an Jiaotong University in China.
In NMC Hospital in Abu Dhabi, 38 percent of Filipinos detected with cancer in general have been diagnosed with breast cancer from January to September. “This year, only 118 patients have been confirmed with cancer among Filipinos and out of that number, 45 are diagnosed with breast cancer,” said Dr. Mohanad Diab, Medical Oncology Consultant and Head of Oncology Services at NMC Hospital.
Meanwhile, Dr. Zulfaqqar Jaffar Ali, a Consultant Oncologist at the Mediclinic Airport Road Hospital in Abu Dhabi, told TFT that the hospital has reported 25 Filipino breast cancer patients in the same period. “We usually report about 200 cancer patients from all nationalities each year. Of this number, 100 are breast cancer patients. This year, out of the 100, about 25 were Filipinos,” said Dr. Ali.
Factors that might have contributed to the slight decrease in number of cases was the scare caused by the coronavirus pandemic, which may have prevented many patients from visiting hospitals due to the risk of contracting the virus.
In the latest data released by the World Health Organization (WHO), it revealed that this disease is affecting 2.1 million women in the world each year. In the UAE, the 2015 data released by the country’s National Cancer Registry revealed that this disease, which recorded 113 deaths at that time, was the leading cause of cancer deaths that year.
Age group getting younger
Dr. Balaji Balasubramanian, a surgical oncologist and a consultant in NMC Specialty Hospital in Abu Dhabi, confirmed that the young age bracket of Filipinas being detected with breast cancer should raise the alarm in the community.
“A unique pattern we saw among Filipino patients is that we do see quite a significant number of people who are very young, between the age of 25 and 30. That is not the age we normally see in breast cancer patients, it is unique to Filipino patients,” said Dr. Balasubramanian.
He said that this age bracket is significantly younger than any other nationalities afflicted with breast cancer that they have encountered.
According to Dr. Jemini Abraham Paul, head of Specialist Obstetrics and Gynaecology department at NMC Medical Centre in Deira, 80 percent of cases occur in women aged over 50. This is backed by the data released by the US National Cancer Institute in 2016, which showed that this disease is common in women aged between 55 and 64.
With this trend, Dr. Balasubramanian urges Filipinas in the UAE to get screened as early as the age 30. “This is why in a screening part, we say that you have to examine yourself when you reach 40, but with Filipinas, we stress that many of them get it by the age of 30,” he said.
A life-changing experience
Two Filipina expats in the UAE have been celebrating what they describe as their “second chance” in life.
Filipina expat Gie Drew, 60, said she has never felt so depressed in her life until she was diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer in 2001.
“I was so upset the first time I was diagnosed, because I have very little understanding about breast cancer during that time,” she said.
She even had her first surgery, called lumpectomy, on her birthday back in the UK. And while she had been diligent in taking care of herself post-cancer, the expat yet again faced the same ordeal when she was diagnosed once again in 2018—this time, it was on the 3rd stage.
“This is the most painful experience that I have had to go through in my life. I nearly gave up, stopped eating and drinking because everything I would take, I would just throw up,” she said. “The most distressing moment I had was when I started losing my hair. I love my long hair so much but what can you do?”
Nanny Monteiro, 55, also felt like she was detached from reality when she first found out that she had breast cancer in 2013, especially since she does not have any family history.
“When the doctor told me I had cancer, it didn’t sink in immediately. At that moment, I froze. I just couldn’t believe I have it as we never have anyone in our family who have cancer,” she said.
Drew and Monteiro are among the many women who have suffered from the grave effects of breast cancer—not just physically, but also emotionally and mentally. For the longest time, breast cancer has been a cause of concern amongst countries across the world, impacting millions each year and causing the greatest number of cancer-related deaths among women globally.
“The biggest challenge for women with breast cancer is to gain competence and to have a quality of life. In order to help them out, our organisation is supporting them physically, financially, spiritually and emotionally, giving them the power to choose a happy and normal life to live after cancer,” said Dr. Aileen Villanueva, General Practitioner at Mediclinic Abu Dhabi and the chairman of Shades of Pink Society – a non-government organisation that advocates breast cancer awareness in the UAE.
Drew said that one reason she founded The Shades of Pink Society is because she understands the struggle of going through the entire ordeal.
“Being diagnosed with breast cancer can be overwhelming, so it is important to seek help and support. Patients can do this by joining a support group like Shades of Pink Society. I formed the organisation because as a survivor, I know how important it is to provide help patients need,” she said.
“It was a difficult struggle and even now every time I think about my fight with breast cancer, I can’t help myself but cry,” she added. “Cancer taught me to appreciate everything and everyone in my life. I am so blessed for giving me a second chance to live my life surrounded by my loving family and friends. I am stronger now,” she said.
