This year’s focus is on the incidence of breast cancer in men.
Free-screening at Zulekha Hospital from 1 st October to 30th November.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 29 September 2019: Zulekha Hospital’s ‘Pink It Now’ breast cancer
an awareness campaign has been encouraging early detection and prevention of the disease over 8
years in the UAE and has attracted over 10000 women to attend the free screenings and consultations in
its hospitals to-date. The management team Dr Zulekha Daud, Founder and Chairperson of Zulekha
Healthcare Group, Managing Director Taher Shams, Co-chairperson Zanubia Shams, launched the
the initiative this year along with Dr Ahmed bin Kalban, CEO of the Specialised Healthcare Services Sector, Dubai Health Authority and Dr Pamela Munster, Professor of Medicine, UCSF for its 8th
edition.

After successfully encouraging women residents to come forward and take up the free screenings,
the healthcare provider now furthers the cause to break the stigma in minds of men who maybe
diagnosed with breast cancer.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), breast cancer is the most frequent cancer among
women, impacting 2.1 million women each year, and also causes the greatest number of cancer-
related deaths. Male breast cancer is a relatively rare cancer but one that doctors often diagnosed in
the later stages. Knowing how to recognize the signs can help a person get early treatment.

“Having positively treated male breast cancer patients at the hospital, we felt the need to extend our
awareness focus beyond the norm and ensure we create awareness early on the incidence of this disease
in men. When we started our campaign in 2012 we had a handful of people stepping forward to take
the early check. Today we have touched thousands of lives. With our experiences, we believe our first

steps will lead to greater positive changes in a few years from now,” said Co-Chairperson Zanubia
Shams.

Breast cancers being common in women, many studies have been conducted on female breast
cancer and the results have reached statistical significance due to large numbers. The treatment
guidelines are standardized. However, since male breast cancer incidence is not so common there
may not be many studies on the topic. Specialists feel that this issue can be tackled by conducting
multiple studies worldwide whereby a larger male breast cancer number will help arrive at a standard
for diagnosis and treatments.

Dr Munster commented: “Women and men are prone to this disease and it will only be beneficial to
raise awareness and consider male breast cancer patients in breast cancer trials that can result is
a discovery of advanced treatments. As for the patients, symptoms may be painless and at times
completely unknown. With the sedentary lifestyle, one can never say when and how the disease may
set in. Early detection can help prevention.”

Campaign partner spokesperson, Gita Ghaemmaghami – Regional Communications Director, TikTok
MENA said: “Early detection of breast cancer for both men and women is vital which is why we are
extremely proud to be partnering with Zulekha Hospital for its ‘Pink it Now’ initiative this year.
Lending our support through our TikTok platform, we are hoping to raise awareness among our
audiences in the region to ensure as many people as possible come forward for free screenings. We
are constantly collaborating with local private and public entities to roll out initiatives that spread
positivity and informative content across the Middle East and North Africa, this partnership is
another step in that direction as we support Zulekha Hospital team’s efforts to create awareness for
the cause.”

*For the earliest stages of breast cancer in men, stages 0 and I (zero and one), the 5-year survival rate
is 100%. Approximately 47% of men with breast cancer are diagnosed with this stage. The 5-year
survival rate for men with stage II (two) disease is 87% and stage III (three) disease is 75%. When the
disease has spread to other parts of the body, the stage is called stage IV (four). The 5-year survival
rate for men with stage IV breast cancer is 25%. Even if the cancer is found at a more advanced stage,

new treatments help many people with breast cancer maintain a good quality of life, at least for
some time.

‘Pink It Now,’ supported by partners Ford Warriors in Pink – Ford MENA, Tik Tok, Air Arabia, P & G,
Gulf International, Johnson’s, Mumzworld, Forever 52, FOCP (Friends of Cancer Patients), UICC
(Union for International Cancer Control), Rahma – Cancer Care Centre and media partners Channel
Four – Radio 4 FM, Gold FM, Al Arabia FM, Al Khaleej Newspaper, and Star Plus, is one of Zulekha
Hospital’s core CSR initiatives, stressing the importance of strategies for cancer prevention, early
detection and management of patients with the disease.

In addition to free X-Ray mammogram and consultations with general surgeons, oncologists and
gynaecologists, the hospital offers 50% discounted rates on ultrasound tests if advised by the doctors.
To register, call 600524442 or visit pinkitnow.zulekhahospitals.com and download the application
Pink Knights.

*Source: American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/breast-cancer-men/statistics

About Zulekha Healthcare Group www.zulekhahospitals.com
Zulekha Healthcare Group is a Superbrand and among the forerunners in UAE healthcare. Today the
Zulekha Healthcare Group includes two multidisciplinary hospitals in Dubai and Sharjah, as well as
four UAE medical centres and three pharmacies providing specialised treatments in over 30
disciplines. The group also has a multidisciplinary hospital in India – Alexis. Zulekha Hospital has
received extensive recognition for its commitment towards quality care and sustainable business
practices, and recently received the prestigious Dubai Quality Award for the second time in four
years, underling a commitment to providing high-quality healthcare to patients and society.
Media Contact:
Sameena Khanam – Senior Manager of PR and Communications
E: skhanam@zulekhahospitals.com
M: +971 56 881 3450