ShareKUWAIT: Some of the biggest names in Kuwaiti fashion have joined "Fashion for Hope", a nationwide campaign launched by Patients Helping Fund Society (PHFS) in Kuwait, in partnership with AstraZeneca Gulf under the ovarian cancer awareness initiative, Listen To Your Body. The campaign, launched to coincide with ovarian cancer awareness month this September, invites women in Kuwait to vote for their favorite teal colored garment, the color of hope and survivorship for ovarian cancer, through PHFS official Facebook page.
The campaign was launched following the alarming findings from a nationwide survey commissioned by AstraZeneca Gulf, which revealed 79% of women living in Kuwait were unable to correctly identify the symptoms of the disease. Ovarian cancer has often been referred to as a 'silent killer' affecting 250,0002 women worldwide - meaning women are less likely to be diagnosed until the cancer has spread, significantly reducing the chances of survival.
In the GCC, it is estimated that around 1,350 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year, with 750 dying from the disease3. Ovarian cancer can occur at any age, although women 55 years and older are at higher risk. Dr Mohammad Al-Sharhan,Chairman of Patients Helping Fund Society said the survey highlighted the challenge of detecting ovarian cancer in the early stages. "Unfortunately, the symptoms women experience with early ovarian cancer often mimics non-serious causes, such as the menstrual cycle or indigestion.
This means women may delay visiting their doctor until symptoms progress to the late stages and chances for survival are reduced to a five-year survival rate of 30-50%5," he said. "Kuwait is a hub for fashion design and Kuwaiti women are known for their love for fashion, through which we hope to spread the needed awareness of ovarian cancer, a disease that causes more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive cancers, and for which the need for early diagnosis and treatment is vital", Dr Al-Sharhan added.
Lioness Couture, CharbelZoe, and Anfal Al Saleh are of the top notch local and international fashion designers in Kuwait who have donated their time to produce exclusive teal garments and share their support for ovarian cancer awareness. Speaking on her participation, Anfal Al Saleh, Kuwaiti fashion designer, said: "I am honored to design an exclusive teal item to raise awareness of ovarian cancer in recognition for all the women out there who suffer from this disease and their families who support them. I hope this initiative encourages Kuwaiti women to educate themselves on the subtle symptoms that shouldn't be overlooked, and of course potentially be one of the lucky winners of the exclusive items."
To be part of Fashion for Hope, women in Kuwait are invited to like the PHFS Facebook page www.facebook.com/PatientsHelpingFundSocietyand click on the 'Fashion For Hope' tab to vote for their preferred garment throughout the month of September, during which awareness and educational Listen to Your Body messaging will run in parallel to equip women with all the information they need to know about the disease. Voting will close at the end of the month and Fashion for Hope winners will then be announced.
Commenting on the collaboration, Samer Al Hallaq, Area Vice President for AstraZeneca Middle East, said: "AstraZeneca Gulf is delighted to be working closely with Patient Helping Fund Society to help increase awareness of ovarian cancer," he said. "This year's Fashion for Hope campaign under the "Listen To Your Body" initiative aims to encourage women to do just that through awareness activities and resources being made available across Kuwait over the coming months."
"AstraZeneca has a deep-rooted heritage in ovarian cancer therapy and together with the Society, we hope to make a real impact in helping women in Kuwait understand their risks and take control of their health," Hallaq added. Dr Mohammad Al-Sharhan said "As there is no specific diagnostic tool for ovarian cancer, symptom awareness remains of key importance. Some of the common symptoms of ovarian cancer are bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, difficulty eating, or feeling full quickly," he said.
"Obviously not every woman who has these symptoms will have ovarian cancer, but those are the symptoms to watch out for and women are recommended to visit their doctor if they experience symptoms more than 12 times during the course of one month." Another concerning result from the survey was that more than a third of the respondents did not know why it was important for them to find out whether they had inherited the BRCA gene mutation. Dr [name] highlighted that this further demonstrated that more awareness was needed, as women with BRCA gene mutations are more likely to develop ovarian or breast cancer.
"A BRCA mutation is a mutation in either one of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, which are tumor suppressor genes. It's recommended for women who have a strong family history of cancer to be tested for BRCA mutations to help inform medical professionals and patients about monitoring and prevention strategies,"Dr. Mohammad Al-Sharhan added. For more information on ovarian cancer or to take part in the Fashion for Hope initiative visit www.facebook.com/PatientsHelpingFundSociety and click on the 'Fashion for Hope' tab.
Ovarian cancer
5 things women should learn about ovarian cancer
(1) All women are at risk of ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer can occur at any age, although women 55 years and older are at higher risk3.
(2) Awareness of the symptoms of ovarian cancer can help women to receive an earlier diagnosis, when the disease is more easily treatable. When the cancer is detected and treated at an early stage (when it's confined to the ovary) it is possible to overcome it so it's essential to learn and to be attentive to the symptoms2. Every woman is different and might experience different symptoms. The most common are: Pelvic/ abdominal pain; Bloating; Urinary frequency/ urgency; Feeling full after eating a small amount.
(3) Diagnosis at an early stage vastly improves a woman's chance of survival. When caught in its earliest stages, ovarian cancer survival rates can be as high as 90 percent. Regrettably, however, early symptoms of ovarian cancer are difficult to diagnose, or go undetected, which leads to nearly 75% of all ovarian cancer patients being diagnosed in advanced stages. 8
(4) Ovarian cancer is often diagnosed at a late stage. Ovarian cancer is frequently diagnosed when the cancer is already at an advanced stage and women often delay seeking help. This may be because the woman confuses the symptoms with other common stomach and digestive complaints2.
(5) Knowing your family history of cancer could help with early diagnoses and treatment - If you are at high risk for ovarian cancer because of personal or family history, your doctor may ask you to have more tests, including some that give information about your genes. These tests may help you make important decisions about cancer prevention for yourself and your children. There are benefits and risks with genetic testing, which you should discuss with your doctor. Blood tests can find out if you have a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene, which can cause ovarian cancer as well as breast cancer. 9/10
