9.6m die each year worldwide from cancer

Islamabad : As many as 9.6 million people die each year worldwide from cancer. That’s more than HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined.

If we don’t act; experts project cancer deaths to rise to 13 million, by 2030. More than one third of cancer cases can be prevented.

Another third can be cured if detected early and treated properly. By implementing resource-appropriate strategies on prevention, early detection and treatment, we can save up to 3.7 million lives every year, Dr. Muhammad Farrukh Consultant Radiation Oncologist at Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad said.

He was addressing the participants of an awareness seminar against cancer at Shifa International Hospital (SIH).

Every year, on 4 February, World Cancer Day is marked, aims to save millions of preventable deaths each year by raising awareness and education about cancer.

2019 marks the launch of the 3-year ‘I Am and I Will’ campaign. ‘I Am and I Will’ is an empowering call-to-action urging for personal commitment and represents the power of individual action taken now to impact the future.

Dr. Farrukh said that Cancer shall be the leading cause of death surpassing heart illness by year 2030 according to W.H.O. (World health organization), he shared 7 warning signs of cancer; (CAUTION) Changes in bathroom habits, A sore that does not heal, Unusual discharge and bleeding from natural orifices, Thickness or lumps in the breast or other places, Indigestion and difficulty in swallowing, Obvious changes in moles or warts and Nagging cough and hoarseness.

He informed the audience that Pakistan is the 7th most populous country with estimated cancer incidence of 148,041 new cases, 101,113 cancer related deaths (48,449 Men & 52,664 Women) in 2012, & a prevalence of 344,243 living cancer patients.

The age standardized ratio is more in females (128 Women & 95 Men per 100,000 populations respectively).

Dr. Sanam Yasir, Consultant Radiologist SIH said that cancer is a disease which occurs when changes in a group of normal cells within the body lead to uncontrolled, abnormal growth forming a lump called a tumour; this is true of all cancers except leukaemia (cancer of the blood).