DEARBORN — About 30 teams of walkers gathered at the Detroit Zoo last Saturday to raise money for all forms of women’s cancer.

The fourth annual Walk for Women’s Cancer, sponsored by the National Arab American Medical Association (NAAMA) and the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, attracted 1500 participants and raised more than $26,000, according to Karmanos spokesperson Patricia Ellis.

NAAMA Director Dr. Mouhanad Hammami said that the event has grown significantly in the last two years. He said it initially was focused on ethnic minorities and bringing attention to cancer and early detection, but that it’s since become broader.

“It grew to become a mainstream walk,” Hammami said.

The event has attracted many groups and families who participate in honor of loved ones who died or are suffering from cancer.

The largest team this year was a group of Filipino nurses, Hammami said.

He said the zoo serves as the venue each year to make it appealing to families, who can spend the day there at no additional cost after the one mile walk.

“A lot of families can enjoy that,” Hammami said.

The Karmanos Institute recommends women pay particular attention to four possible symptoms of ovarian cancer, which has the highest mortality of all cancers of the reproductive system, and is often diagnosed at an advanced stage. They are bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly and feeling a frequent or urgent need to urinate.

These symptoms can all be indicators of less serious problems, but Karmanos recommends that women visit their doctors if any persist daily for three or more weeks.