Seminar calls for institute to train medical journalists

Oncology experts and media personnel attending a seminar here have called for the creation of a specialized media institute to train journalists in the field of medical and healthcare reporting.

They said the institute may also provide a one-year media program for doctors who want to contribute to the media. The aim of creating such an institute, said the experts, is to provide accurate and reliable information to the public about various health issues, especially breast cancer.

Dr. Om Al-Khair Abu Al-Khair, an adult oncology consultant at King Abdul Aziz Medical City of the National Guard in Riyadh, said breast cancer is number one type of cancer that affects women.

She said 30 percent of breast cancer cases spread during the medical follow-up while 16 to 20 percent of cases are diagnosed only after reaching stage 4.

“What worsens the condition is many physicians tend to employ chemotherapy at early stages or after a single line of hormone therapy,” she said.

Abu Al-Khair said 20 percent of the breast cancer cases are diagnosed after the age of 40. She pointed out that 2,860 breast cancer cases were detected in Saudi Arabia in 2014, the first time such statistics were made available.

Professor Ahmed Saad Al-Din, consultant in clinical oncology, Department of Adult Oncology at King Abdul Aziz Medical City, said breast cancer treatments have been evolving very quickly over the last 10 years with the introduction of new medications and a better understanding of the disease.

He stressed the importance of psych-social therapies that should accompany any medical treatment of cancer. Speaking about the role of media he explained that there is a need to raise awareness not just during one month but throughout the year.

The speakers urged media outlets to create permanent sections to transmit valuable information regarding healthcare to the public.

Meanwhile, the Saudi Oncology Association together with Novartis, announced the outcome of Monaleesa Clinical Trials carried out on women who are in the advanced stages of breast cancer.

Participants in the trials exhibited clinically meaningful improvement in pain symptoms compared to those taking endocrine therapy alone. The improvement was remarkable after eight weeks of treatment, the association said.