The American board certified experts from the Cancer Care Centre and Breast Clinic at the American Hospital Dubai conducted a breast cancer seminar for the public.

The seminar took place at the American Hospital Dubai and attracted an audience of more than 60 people.

For women in Dubai and the UAE, there is good news; the long term outlook for breast cancer patients has never been better and the level of awareness amongst the population is high and growing, which means that women have a better level of understanding about the preventative measures that can be taken against breast cancer, including lifestyle changes and regular self examination and screening.

American board certified general surgeon Dr Paul Sayad, explained the role of sentinel lymph node biopsy and surgery in the treatment of breast cancer and especially in the detection of the spread of cancer cells (metastasis) from the breast to the lymph nodes.

"The sentinel lymph node is the gatekeeper of the lymphatic basin and is the lymph node which is the first to be affected in the case of metastasis," he explained.

"With the support of the Hospital's Nuclear Medicine Department, a radio-isotope is injected around the tumor followed by an injection of a blue dye.  Guided by a Gamma probe and the blue colouring, the location of the sentinel node is identified.  The node is then excised and sent for pathologic study, if no disease is found in the node then there will be no need to excise all the other lymph nodes," he added.

The breast cancer awareness and prevention presentation was led by American Hospital Dubai Oncologist/ Haematologist Dr Andre Rizk, who listed the risk factors for breast cancer and ways of reducing these risks, dispelling the myths surrounding breast cancer, and urging women to take precautions in monitoring their breast health.- TradeArabia News Service