Breast cancer on the rise

Rawalpindi : One out of every eight females in Pakistan is at risk of falling prey to breast cancer that has emerged as a serious health threat though the disease is curable at early stages, but in our society most of the patients come to the hospital at last stages of the disease when palliative care remains the only option for management.

The reasons behind this late presentation are many but the major one is our social structure in which majority of females remain reluctant to visit and consult a doctor.

This was stated by breast cancer surgeons participating in the ‘International Breast Surgery Course’ held by the Society of Surgeons Pakistan in collaboration with Association of Breast Surgeons (UK) here at Benazir Bhutto Hospital. Surgeons including Professor Naeem Zia, Professor Arif Rasheed Khawaja, Dr Hamda Khawaja, Dr. Penelope Macmanus, Dr. Steven Thrush, Dr. Richard Sutton, Dr. Brendan Smith addressed the participants and provided latest research about breast cancer.