The experience of developing breast cancer led Hakima Alaoui, a 52-year-old Tunisian doctor, to reassess her life and future before documenting the journey in a book she titled “To Rise Again While Alive”. Alaoui discovered her diagnosis by chance, despite her professional knowledge of the disease and its details, at a time when her life was proceeding normally and she was planning for the future and thinking about her family.
Alaoui said she learned of her diagnosis “by chance”, but did not feel alarmed when she received the news. Nevertheless, she describes the experience after going through its stages as harsh, bringing about a complete change in her personality and outlook on life.
Breast cancer tops women’s cancer cases in Tunisia
She explained that a cancer patient’s life before diagnosis is normal and free of fears associated with the disease: they plan for the future and focus on their family, but everything changes after the diagnosis. Alaoui’s personal experience intersects with a wider health issue in Tunisia, where breast cancer is the most common cancer among women.
Health authorities are relying on early screening as a way of detecting the disease in its initial stages, increasing treatment opportunities and reducing the likelihood that a patient will undergo lengthy and complex treatment after the disease has progressed. Dr Najla Rashid, a doctor and director at the National Office for Family and Human Development, said breast cancer ranks first among the cancers affecting women in Tunisia and that the disease had caused the deaths of many women.
Case numbers prompt earlier screening
She stressed that state policy is based on early screening because it gives women a greater opportunity for treatment before the disease progresses. Dealing with breast cancer does not end with detecting the disease and beginning treatment, as health authorities in Tunisia provide patients with psychological support through specialised clinics.
Psychological support helps patients through treatment
According to Rashid, these services aim to help patients accept their diagnosis and support them throughout treatment, given the psychological impact that can accompany diagnosis and the changes the disease imposes on daily life. Dr Khaled Rahal, president of the Tunisian Association for the Care of Breast Cancer Patients, said detecting the disease in its early stages greatly increases recovery rates and can spare women lengthy and complex treatment protocols, including chemotherapy.
Rahal believes that dealing with the disease does not begin at diagnosis, but includes prevention and reducing risk factors before the disease appears. He called for avoiding obesity, inactivity and processed foods, and for adhering to breastfeeding as a preventive factor.
He also recommended that women conduct monthly self-examinations as a first line of defence, alongside a mammogram every two years from the age of 50, or from the age of 40 for those with a family history of breast cancer. The association’s president stressed that awareness and early screening are the main pillars for saving women’s lives and increasing their chances of recovery.
Screening’s impact is not limited to detecting the disease before it spreads; it can also change the nature, duration and complexity of the treatment the patient will undergo, ultimately reducing the need for some therapeutic interventions in cases detected early.
City of Sciences expands early-screening awareness campaigns
At the City of Sciences in the capital, Tunis, breast cancer is addressed from an angle that goes beyond introducing the disease to disseminating updated health information and encouraging women to attend screening centres. Safaa Maassouri, a scientific outreach professor at the City of Sciences, said the institution was committed to following scientific activities, particularly health-related ones, and conveying the associated knowledge to the public.
Maassouri added that the City of Sciences was taking part in the “Pink October” campaign to help raise awareness and encourage women to undergo early screening, stressing that screening gives women a significant opportunity for treatment and to avoid the worst outcomes. The campaign’s activities combine the presentation of scientific information with women’s experiences, while health institutions handle screening, diagnosis and follow-up.
Once any indicators emerge during screening, another stage begins, involving additional tests and medical diagnosis, followed by follow-up and treatment if the diagnosis is confirmed. Doctors stress that women should not wait for the disease or its symptoms to appear before undergoing examinations, and should adhere to screening programmes appropriate to their age, risk factors and family history.
Activities linked to Pink October seek to turn seasonal awareness into an ongoing health culture throughout the year, so that screening messages are not confined to a single month. Alongside annual case figures, Hakima Alaoui’s experience highlights the impact of diagnosis on women’s lives and family and future plans, as well as the importance of early screening in changing the course of treatment and improving the chances of recovery.
