Healthy lifestyle, self-care urged to avoid breast cancer

Islamabad : Chief Executive Officer Pink Ribbon Pakistan Omer Aftab on Sunday stressed upon the need to create an awareness regarding breast cancer in the month of October and focus on the healthy lifestyle and self-care.

He said that October is marked as the breast cancer awareness month every year across the world including Pakistan, by different demonstrations, contributions such as holding of awareness walks, fund raising events and media awareness campaigns. Pakistan has the highest ratio of breast cancer in Asia, he said, adding, with the disease burden increasing every year, breast cancer poses a very serious public health threat.

He further highlighted that a lifestyle (healthy or unhealthy) can either be a cause of breast cancer or may prevent breast cancer. So, it would be better that the women should adopt a healthy lifestyle to live a healthy life. He also stressed to eliminate social stigmas attached to breast cancer and said women in Pakistan even feel shy talking to their parents about their basic health issues adding that social and cultural taboos were still attached to different female health issues and it made it more difficult for girls to talk about them to others.

He said the Pink Ribbon has launched an awareness drive during this month, since, it is known as breast cancer awareness month, which engages everyone from grassroots level to the policymakers.

Omer Aftab informed that almost 70 to 90 per cent of early stage breast cancers are curable, adding, every year, breast cancer kills women around the world. He said one in eight women today is diagnosed with breast cancer, adding, it is the second most common cancer among women after skin cancer.

But with early diagnosis and treatment, we can win over this disease. He suggested regular mammography (check-up) as a way to diagnose breast cancer in stage first adding that "Women should perform a breast self-exam at least once each month, and have a clinical breast exam performed by a health professional every year. He also urged Pakistani women to be cautious about the initial symptoms and risk factors as thousands of lives are lost due to lack of awareness. The Pakistani government has launched an awareness drive through mobile phone messages and setting up a health helpline numbers, he added.