Syriac Women’s Union holds cancer awareness seminar in Zalin (Qamishli), North and East Syria

ZALIN, Syria — On Thursday, the Zalin (Qamishli) branch of the Syriac Women’s Union (SWU) in North and East Syria held a seminar on cancer awareness and early detection. The seminar was arranged with the assistance of Dr. Reem Sayegh, a cancer and early detection specialist.

SWU official Georgette Barsoum told SuroyoTV that they arranged the seminar to improve rates of early detection of cancer, particularly breast cancer. 

Speaking to the information provided by Dr. Sayegh, Mrs. Barsoum described it as valuable in terms of how to detect and diagnose the disease and explained the stages of treatment and how women can detect the first signs of cancer at home. Early detection drastically increases the chance of surviving breast cancer.

The seminar also focused on correcting misconceptions and breaking societal taboos about cancer.

Widespread misconceptions particularly scare women from detection or biopsy to cancers, she said.

The seminar included broad discussions among women about common types of cancer, particularly breast cancer and uterine cancer, said Mrs. Barsoum.

The SWU wanted to convey a message to the women of the region: if discovered early, cancer can be beaten.