One in every nine suspects liable to develop breast cancer

Islamabad : Almost one in every nine suspected patients of breast cancer is liable to develop breast cancer in the country and among non-communicable diseases; breast cancer is the biggest killer of women in Pakistan.

The most alarming fact is that in most of the cases, the incidence of the disease is being reported among women in younger age as the federal breast cancer screening centre established here at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in 2015 has diagnosed breast cancer in hundreds of women having age between 30 and 40 years, said Project Director at the federal breast cancer centre Professor Dr. Ayesha Esani Majeed while talking to ‘The News’.

She added that after conducting mammography in 5000 cases and ultrasound in 6,000 cases, breast cancer was diagnosed in as many as 600 women and it shows that the incidence of the disease is much higher.

She said the main problem in Pakistan is that in most of the cases, the delay in diagnosis of the disease is proved to be fatal and it is so because only a limited number of suspects reach screening centres. Majority of people do not affoard fee for diagnosis as Pakistan lacks badly the screening centres in public sector and most of the suspects have to opt for private laboratories that cost Rs5000 or more for mammography, she said.

The federal breast cancer screening centre, the only screening facility in public sector in the region provides all diagnostic facilities including ultrasound and mammography totally free of cost to all patients, said Dr. Ayesha.

She, however, added that everyone cannot come to PIMS for diagnosis and for early detection of cases and to minimise losses of lives, the federal and the provincial governments should work for establishment of screening centres in all tertiary care hospitals.

She added that the data she has been going through about reported cases of breast cancer in Pakistan hints that thousands of lives can be saved every year if provinces work out establishment of free screening facilities for breast cancer at rural health centre and basic health units level.

She said the number of visitors at the PIMS centre is increasing but still there is much awareness needed and there is a need to give courage to women and their families for coming for the screening in case of suspicion.

Dr. Ayesha said all screening facilities including ultrasound, mammography and biopsy is being provided free of cost at the federal breast cancer screening centre and it’s a walk in facility. ‘The centre is being run almost in isolation and all staff members are female and men are not allowed in the centre,” she said. Females of any age group can have screening facilities without any hesitation on any working day from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m, she said. Media should educate people that every suspect needs immediate screening, she said.