Punjab govt to conduct research on eradication of breast cancer

LAHORE:Caretaker Provincial Health Minister Prof Dr Javed Akram has said that the Punjab government is going to conduct a research study to eradicate breast cancer.

‘Nine out of every 100 women in Pakistan suffer from breast cancer,’ he said while participating as a special guest in the awareness symposium and walk organised by the Oncology Department of King Edward Medical University.

Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Mehmood Ayaz, Dr Abbas Khokhar, Prof Waris Farooqa, Prof Ahmed Uzair Qureshi, Prof Rab Nawaz Makan, Prof Hafeez Butt, Prof Saima Ameer, Prof Nadia Khurshid, Prof Kiran Malik, Dr Zainab Zubair and Dr Maham, along with many nurses and doctors were there.

Addressing the participants, the minister said that October 19 is celebrated as a day to give awareness for the prevention of breast cancer in the whole world. Statistics of breast cancer in Pakistan are very alarming, 9 out of every 100 women suffer from breast cancer in Pakistan. Breast cancer awareness has become very important in our society. Allah Almighty has put a lot of power in breastfeeding, refusing breastfeeding is not wisdom but ignorance.

Prof Javed Akram said that the government was going to conduct a research study to eradicate breast cancer in the province. After the age of 40, every woman should have a mammogram.

King Edward Medical University VC Prof Mahmood Ayaz said that awareness and preventive measures were necessary to prevent the spread of cancer. He said that cancer can be cured with timely diagnosis and awareness. King Edward Medical University is the first medical institution to train breast cancer specialists in the country.

Fatima Jinnah Medical University VC Prof Dr Khalid Masood Gondal said that diseases like cancer can be defeated with early diagnosis and treatment. He said that women who breastfeed are protected from breast cancer to a great extent.

Prof Ahmed Uzair Qureshi said that every year, about one lac people die due to this disease. According to an estimate, every eighth woman worldwide and in Pakistan is suffering from breast cancer.

Dr Abbas Khokhar, head of the Department of Oncology and Radiotherapy, said that according to the WHO report, cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide, while breast cancer is the number one cause of death among women in the world and Pakistan. Almost 180,000 new cancer patients are diagnosed every year. The walk was attended by nursing paramedic staff and people from all walks of life.