FAISALABAD The City

Concern over highest rate of breast cancer in Pakistan
From Our Correspondent
FAISALABAD: Speakers at a seminar have said that Pakistan has the highest rate of breast cancer in Asia Pacific as one out of nine women in the country is at the risk of disease.
The seminar on breast cancer was arranged by the UAF Institute of Rural Home Economics here. Institute of Rural Home Economics Director Dr Naheed Abbas said that the women, who ate the higher levels of saturated fat, had the double risk of breast cancer as compared to those, who ate the least. She said that illiteracy, social taboos and myths were a hindrance to the early detection of disease, which impeded diagnosis and treatment. She said that better education/awareness of the disease and a healthy diet helped reduce the risk of breast cancer.
Dr Sarwat Saqib said that the women hesitance to discuss the disease was one of the causes for the higher number of breast cancer patients in the country. She said that if cancer was detected at early stage, chances of survival increased manifold. She said that the young women were more frequently reporting with the cancer in Pakistan.
Dr Beenish Asad said that the balanced diet helped reduce the risk of breast cancer. She said that the breast cancer was becoming the leading cause of cancer deaths. Hira Iftikhar also spoke on the occasion.