Doha- Serendipity alone led me to discover the disease, when I felt a light fever in July 2023, and I went to the doctor as a routine procedure, without imagining that this moment would change my life, and during the examination the doctor asked to conduct a specific analysis that showed the possibility of prostate cancer.
Metal words that Muhammad Ashraf, who has been in the State of Qatar for more than 30 years, started his conversation with “Al -Jazeera Net” about his story with cancer, saying that after undergoing the required analyzes, the doctors conducted a biopsy that came to confirm the indicators of the analysis of prostate cancer, and then it was the big shock, but he decided to face the disease and undergo treatment without hesitation.
The journey began with hormonal therapy and robotic surgery, but the disease returned again in 2024 to start a new follow -up stage at the National Center for Cancer Cancer and Research in Qatar, where he found medical and psychological support that was the reason for reaching the stages of recovery and recovery.
Ashraf asserts that the challenge of cancer is a major factor in reaching the stages of complete recovery, and that his message to any injured is not to surrender and to abide by treatment and periodic examinations, especially in light of the medical development that has become an important factor in recovery and the high rates of survival from this difficult disease, which has become treatment for treatment, especially in the event of early detection, and the presence of psychological and family support during the treatment trip.
High recovery rates
The first oncology consultant at the National Center for Cancer Treatment and Research at the Hamad Medical Corporation in Qatar, Dr. Muhammad Osama Al -Homsi, spoke about the high rates of survival and recovery from cancer, especially in light of the detection of modern drugs and treatments that have become a qualitative shift in treatment.
“Al -Jazeera Health” said that he witnessed many cases of healing from the disease through persistence, follow -up and application of modern treatment protocols, explaining that one of the most prominent developments in treatment is immunotherapy, directed medications and medicines called medications associated with antibodies that search in the body for tumor cells and stick to them and then eliminate them without hurting healthy cells.
These drugs are currently used in many types of cancer either alone or associated with other drugs and have already been applied in many cases, as well as cases of cancer caused by mutations that occur in chromosomes or genetic legacies and it can be diagnosed in the microscopic laboratories available in the country and thus treat them with special drugs that prevent the multiplication of cancer cells effectively and lead to a high percentage of control over many Cancer diseases, according to Dr. Al -Homsi.
And set an example of several types of lung cancer, which can be controlled through a new drug treatment represented in oral pills that fully control the disease, as he pointed out that some types of blood cancers such as chronic leukemia or chronic myeling leukemia can be coexisted with thanks to modern drugs targeting the genetic mutation in cancer cells, so that the patient lives a completely normal life.
Al -Homsi attributed the factors of recovery and recovery from cancer on several things that include:
- Early detection, where the healing rates in breast and colon cancer, for example, reach 100% in the early stages of the disease.
- Development in the field of careful medicine and the detection of mutations that cause cells to turn into tumors.
- The patient’s psychological and moral support during treatment.
- The patient’s will himself and his adherence to hope and treatment.
Coexistence with the disease
Al -Homsi believes that the issue of coexistence with cancer means controlling it with medications to prevent its development and reaching advanced stages, so the patient must regularly follow up after healing through periodic tests and taking specific preventive medications that prevent the resumption of infection because cancer cells may sometimes develop resistance to treatment, which requires changing treatment.
He stressed that psychological and moral therapy is no less important than the drug itself, and that giving the patient hope and confidence in the ability of modern medicine to control the disease opens a wide door for life, and makes him more committed to treatment and stronger in the face of challenges, stressing that cancer is no longer a scary disease as it was previously believed.
National plan
Two years ago, Qatar developed a comprehensive national plan to combat cancer (2023 and 2026) aimed at enhancing prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment, as well as providing psychological and social support to patients and their families.
The plan is based on seven main axes, most notably the development of early examination programs for common cancer such as breasts and intestines, expanding their scope to include other types, in addition to improving comprehensive care, providing home therapy services, supporting scientific research and innovation and promoting international cooperation, as well as introducing career medicine services and allocating treatment according to the genetic properties of each patient.
Initiatives also include survivors care programs to ensure continued support after treatment, in the context of an integrated approach that puts the patient at the heart of priority and aims to improve the quality of his life and confirm the ability to recover when early detection.
A comprehensive battle
The official of the community psychological support groups in the Qatar Cancer Society – Rahf Wasfi – sees in a statement to “Al -Jazeera” that the challenge of cancer is not just a medical confrontation with a malignant tumor, but rather a comprehensive battle that the patient is fighting with his body, spirit and mind, explaining that many survivors confirm that the secret of victory was not the medicine alone, but rather the psychological and moral support that they received from their families and society, And the deep feeling that they were not alone in this difficult journey.
She said that from this standpoint, the Qatar Cancer Society is working to provide a wide umbrella of sustainable programs concerned with patients and recovery and their families of care providers, all of which form support lines in this battle.
Among these programs: “Our children went” for children and “your smile our life” and “I am recovered and ask you for my story” and “together we can”, in addition to the initiatives of community participation, and these efforts are not limited to psychological support only, but also aims to enable patients and survivors and reintegrate them into society as active individuals.
Wasfi indicates that the association provides direct material support programs for those who are unable to withstand the costs of treatment, as it sponsored from 2013 to 2023 the treatment of more than 9,362 patients, at a cost exceeding 101 million Qatari riyals, and this support not only lifted the cost of cost, but also gives them psychological comfort that contributes to their focus on the journey of treatment and recovery.
The role does not stop there, but rather extends to the help of patients and survivors and their families to face the side effects of treatment, and to provide them with the information necessary to maintain a healthy lifestyle, ensuring them improving their physical and psychological capabilities and restoring their daily activity as much as possible.
The ultimate goal, according to Rahaf, remains to improve the quality of life during treatment and beyond, and to help patients and survivors overcome the effects of the disease and reactivate their natural role in society.