EOS and IPSEN break Guinness record for the largest awareness ribbon in Neuroendocrine Tumors Awareness Day
- Emirates Oncology Society (EOS) and Ipsen joined forces to raise awareness of Neuroendocrine Tumors (NET), a rare type of cancer.
- The new Guinness record is more than double the size of the previous one.
- Neuroendocrine tumors are increasing in incidence and prevalence due to increased diagnosis of early-stage tumors; despite that, 60% of patients are still diagnosed at an advanced stage.
Neuroendocrine tumors awareness day, which lies on the 10th of October, was different in the UAE this year. Both Emirates Oncology Society (EOS) and Ipsen joined forces to raise awareness of Neuroendocrine Tumors (NET) by creating the world’s most enormous awareness ribbon at Al Habtoor Polo Club in Dubai.
The created ribbon area was 4.8 km2 which is 3 km2 more than the previous record. Usually, Zebra patterns are used for Neuroendocrine Tumors awareness activities as they represent the disease’s insidious and camouflaging nature.
Neuroendocrine Tumors’ symptoms make it hard for physicians to diagnose as they share the same symptoms as other diseases like Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), chron’s disease, and others. Moreover, British investigators recently found that some patients may visit a General practitioner (GP) 11 times with no success in diagnosing their Neuroendocrine Tumor. Thus, both disease nature and lack of effective awareness are blamed for misdiagnosis and delayed diagnosis NETs.
But, it is worth mentioning that NETs are increasing in incidence and prevalence due to increased diagnosis of early-stage tumors, especially the colorectal NETs, thanks to colorectal cancer awareness activities that increase screening rates. But is this enough? The answer is no, as 60% of patients are still diagnosed at an advanced stage.
In the end, it is essential to mention that awareness of disease and symptoms is critical for screening and early detection. In addition, if public members are aware of an illness and its symptoms, they are more likely to take action and visit healthcare providers for check-ups.
