Speaking to Arab News, she said breast cancer accounted for 24.3 percent of cancers in Saudi Arabia. About 24.7 percent of breast cancer patients were in the age group of 30 to 44 while 18.1 percent were between 45 and 59 and 5.8 percent between 60 and 74.
“This shows that young Saudi women suffer a great deal from breast cancer,” the princess said. Khuloud’s research, which is the first of its kind in the Middle East, will contribute to international scientific studies for the production of antigens to prevent mutation in genes.
A three-member committee of experts awarded Princess Khuloud a masters degree in immunology from King Saud University for her research in the immunity of breast cancer cells taken from Saudi female patients. She conducted her studies at King Faisal Specialist Center for Research in Riyadh.
Khuloud emphasized the need to conduct more research on the increasing number of cancer cases among Saudi women.
“The breast cancer among Saudi women is quite different from the ones found in Western women. It’s for the first time that cancer cells have been grown outside the body of a patient in the Middle East. This is a strategic move, which will help develop treatment for the killer disease.”
She said her research would help scientists understand the type of breast cancer in the Kingdom and how to prevent them. Khuloud conducted her research on samples of tumors taken from 20 Saudi women from King Faisal Specialist Hospital.
“My previous plan was to conduct research on blood diseases, but when I saw the growing number of breast cancer cases across the world, including Saudi Arabia, I decided to shift my research to cancer,” she said and praised the support of her parents, husband and children and professors during her studies.
She said the real reasons for cancer were unknown. However, she pointed out that it could spread as a result of hereditary and environmental factors. “The disease affects people who are susceptible to it,” the princess said, adding that women are more likely to contract the disease compared to men.
Princess Khuloud urged women to conduct early diagnosis in order to achieve cure. She said she had difficulty in getting samples of tumors during her research. “Planting tumor cells outside the body was also a difficult process as there is a possibility of the cells getting contaminated. Moreover the growth of cells outside the body is slow and it requires a lot of time to follow and study.” She commended Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for his support and encouragement to scientific and medical research. “We are now in a golden era in terms of research. It will have a great impact on the Kingdom in various fields,” she added.