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ISLAMABAD: Medical experts in Pakistan have raised concern over growing number of breast cancer cases in the country, reported the local media on Sunday, while seeking lifestyle changes and greater public awareness about the disease.
Every year, thousands of women in Pakistan lose their lives to the disease which can be cured if it is diagnosed at an early stage.
Medical experts in the country addressed an awareness program organized by Himmel Pharmaceuticals in collaboration with the Karachi Press Club on Saturday in which they described the disease as the most common form of cancer among women across the world.
“One out of eight Pakistani women develops breast cancer at some stage of her life while thousands of lives are lost to the disease every year,” Professor Naila Zahid, head of the oncology department at the Liaquat National Hospital, was quoted as saying by Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper.
“One of the major barriers to early diagnosis is lack of awareness and women’s shyness in discussing their health issues and going for any kind of breast examination,” she added.
Zahid maintained it was important for women to carry out regular self-examination to make it easier for doctors to diagnose the disease early.
“Women below age 40 should perform regular self-examinations and women above 40 should undergo regular mammography screening,” she said.
Other experts emphasized lifestyle changes while addressing the ceremony.
“We need to change our lifestyle,” Dr. Adnan Abdul Jabbar, head of Ziauddin Hospital’s oncology department, said. “Today, we have a sedentary lifestyle, eating a lot of junk food, frozen and processed products. People need to have a healthy diet and lifestyle, which would help protect the body.”
He also pointed out that breast cancer could be found among men, though he added their number was far less than women.