KUWAIT: The national campaign for fighting cancer, also known as Cancer Aware Nation (CAN), launched an awareness campaign against colon and rectal cancer with a press conference at the Radisson Blu Hotel in the presence of Deputy Chairman Dr Khalid Ahmad Al-Saleh, Dr Rasheed Al-Hamad, Dr Hussa Al-Shaheen, Dr Rashad Salamah and Dr Abdelsalam Al-Najjar.

Saleh said there is a 60 to 70 percent recovery rate from cancer. "As we have succeeded in spreading an early detection culture, this will reach 80 percent," he said, adding all CAN board members believe awareness is the cornerstone in fighting cancer. He said true awareness has three basic concepts - the first is making people understand risk factors. "When we stay away from risk factors, we reduce incident rates. The second is early detection - the secret of cancer fighting success."

According to Saleh, cancer is no longer as deadly a disease as it once used to. "Here comes the third and last concept - awareness, which means we send a positive message to everybody in Kuwait that cancers are not fatal diseases, and people must be 'reprogrammed' to not be afraid. They will be ready to go and see their doctor when they feel any symptom, and be ready to go along with the treatment," he said.

"We as doctors have noticed that the treated person has a greater recovery rate and has nutritional, spiritual and family support, better than the person who is treated outside Kuwait. Cancer is a complex disease, which means that it needs medicine, family support and nutrition, and this formula is the secret of success," Saleh said.

Saleh said CAN has an agreement with the public food and nutrition authority. "This agreement constitutes a new era in Kuwait because we will start with sound nutrition from childhood. Students will learn in schools how and what to eat, so that a person in Kuwait can learn the culture of nutrition since childhood." He added that food culture is very important, "because when we spread this culture among the youth, we will guarantee the reduction of cancer cases."

By Abdellatif Sharaa