Islamabad, October 28, 2023 :The ratio of breast cancer in the country is the highest in Asia. In 2020, more than 650, 000 deaths were reported globally due to breast cancer.
It occurs in every country in the world. Every one out of nine Pakistani women becomes a breast cancer patient at some stage of their life.
There is a myth in society that cancer spreads rapidly after a biopsy which is wrong and misleading. After a timely diagnosis patients should immediately start the treatment to avoid the worst-case scenario. These views were expressed by Dr Omema Saleem of Dow University of Health Sciences on Thursday.
She was addressing the awareness session regarding breast cancer organized by the Centre of Excellence for Women’s Studies of the University of Karachi. The KU CEWS in collaboration with the Pink Ribbon Pakistan and Essa Lab held the event at the KU CEWS Edhi Hall under the theme of ‘pink together, stronger forever’.
Meanwhile, Dr Farha Essa from Dr Essa Lab said that every 13 minutes, a woman dies due to breast cancer. She observed that a routine mammogram in women over fifty years of age can reduce the chances of breast cancer deaths by 25 to 30 percent.
She informed the audience that the symptoms of breast cancer are very clear and a person can easily discover it, if anyone feels it, they should immediately consult a doctor because it can be easily treated with a timely diagnosis.
Another speaker, the KU Syndicate member and a medical officer at the KU Medical Centre, Dr Muhammad Hasan Khan Auj shared that lack of awareness is one of the main reasons for the rapid increase in breast cancer in Pakistan. He feared that we could not control the situation if we did not take it seriously and urged that society should take this matter very seriously.
Later, the acting Vice Chancellor of the University of Karachi Justice Retired Hasan Firoz said that we need to promote more awareness in society to reduce the ratio of breast cancer in the country.
He mentioned that this is a fact that we do not talk about the cases and patients of breast cancer in society. The acting KU VC Justice Retired Hasan Firoz added that it is questionable why we have related it to the shame though we are living in an advanced era.
He shared that there is no doubt that women avoid telling their families about what they are suffering from and it leads to a further increase in their problems. Addressing the students, he said that now it is their responsibility to play a role in promoting awareness among their families and as far as possible so that affected persons could reach the doctor for timely diagnosis and treatment which would be very helpful in the prevention of this disease.
The KU Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Professor Dr Shaista Tabassum, the focal person Pink Ribbon Campaign for KU CEWS Dr Shagufta Nasreen, Centre’s in-charge Dr Asma Manzoor, and others also spoke on this occasion.
