Cases of breast cancer have been increasing in Pakistan, which should be a cause of great concern for all of us. According to research, every ninth woman of the country is affected with breast cancer. There are two main reasons of this fatal disease in Pakistan: first, lack of awareness of the issue and second, the societal and cultural taboos that force women to keep such issues secret. By the time a woman knows about her illness or she is able to boldly discuss the issue with any of her family members (especially husband and mother), she crosses the curable stage of the cancer. The need of the hour, therefore, is that women be made aware of breast cancer.
In this regard, the health departments of all four provinces of the country must play their role. With regular intervals, the media should engage expert oncologists and surgeons, for guiding women on the symptoms of breast cancer and its possible early effective treatment. In this manner, we will be able to decrease the increasing cases of breast cancer in our country.
Abdul Samad Samo
Karachi