Breast cancer kills 40,000 women every year in Pakistan: experts

LAHORE:A breast cancer awareness symposium was organised at the University of Health Sciences (UHS) here on Thursday.

The symposium was organised by UHS Medical Education Department. Vice Chancellor Professor Ahsan Waheed presided over the event in which all the students of UHS were given the status of breast cancer awareness ambassadors. The students will create awareness about breast cancer in their areas and among their relatives.

Addressing the symposium, the medical experts said that on average, every 2 minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer in the world. The breast cancer mortality rate is 7 pc. “Unfortunately, a majority of cases in Pakistan are diagnosed late because of a lack of awareness and cultural taboos that drive women to keep the disease a secret. Around 40,000 women lose their lives every year in Pakistan due to breast cancer. Unluckily, Pakistan is the country in Asia that has the highest rate of breast cancer,” the participants said.

It was also noted that cousin marriage, fast food, and Vitamin D deficiency were major risk factors for breast cancer in Pakistan. "Family support is the most important in the treatment of cancer patients. Like in the West, patient support groups should be formed in Pakistan where patients can benefit from each other's experiences", said the health experts.

UHS VC Professor Ahsan Waheed said in his address that for better awareness, there was a need for a change in the culture, not a particular law of the government. "We have to teach our girls that the disease should not be hidden", he stressed, adding that women no longer needed to hide their eyes from the risk rather they should take a peek - there's help coping with what they might find.

Principal Continental Medical College Lahore Professor Ayesha Shaukat said that in Pakistan, 80 pc of patients with breast cancer had stage III or IV disease at the time of the first presentation. She emphasised the screening and early detection of breast cancer. She motivated women by telling them about the factors that influence the risk for breast cancer including being a woman, being older, and having changes in breast cancer genes.

She added that most women could survive breast cancer if it was found and treated on time. “And it can only be possible if women start believing in self-examination and the screening test for breast cancer. A mammogram – the screening test for breast cancer – can help find breast cancer early when it’s easier to treat,” she said.

Former head of the UHS Human Genetics Department Prof Shagufta Khaliq said that when she suffered from the disease, she found out that the treatment was very expensive. She added that breast cancer treatment should be free for women.

UHS Family Medicine department's assistant professor Dr Hina Jawaid said that breast cancer was a curable disease and early diagnosis was the key. She informed that there were mobile apps for breast self-examination that could be of great help to women and health experts.

Consultant surgeon Dr Syeda Husan-e- Zahra, Dr Saima Ch, Dr Tania Shakoori and Director Medical Education Dr Khalid Rahim also spoke. Two faculty members who recovered from cancer narrated their life experiences. Videos made by medical students on the topic of breast cancer were also shown during the symposium.