Pakistan has the highest rate of breast cancer as compared to any Asian population, accounting to 40,000 deaths every year, whereas information available on breast cancer is very insignificant with only advanced cases of breast cancer being reported.
This was stated by National Co-ordinator of Pink Ribbon Omer Aftab while addressing a function held in Lahore in connection with 'Pink Ribbon National Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign', launched in commemoration of 40,000 women dying every year because of breast cancer in Pakistan.
Pink Ribbon Co-ordinator said at-least one-third of all cancer cases are preventable, as prevention offers the most cost-effective long-term strategy for controlling cancer.
In the prevailing scenario, he stressed, it is important to focus on prevention rather than cure, as breast cancer is the only cancer that if diagnosed early, offers survival rate of more than 90 percent, while diagnosis can be done simply by self examination. He called upon the ministry of health to set up national cancer registry and expedite national breast screening programme to save precious lives.
About the spending on health sector, Aftab said it is dismally low, while the available human resource in health sector is also quite low as it shows a ratio of 1,254 people per doctor, 2,671 per nurse, 6,235 per midwife and 18,318 per Lady Health Visitor.
Moreover, ratio of female doctors ie surgeons, oncologists and radiologists, etc, are further far less than the above-mentioned figures, he added. Meanwhile, health professionals told Business Recorder that cancer is the uncontrolled growth and spread of cells. It can affect almost any part of the body. The growths often invade surrounding tissue and can metastasise distant sites.
"Many cancers can be prevented by avoiding exposure to common risk factors, such as tobacco smoke. In addition, a significant proportion of cancers can be cured, by surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy, especially if they are detected early," they pointed out.
According to them, unhealthy diets and physical inactivity are two of the main risk factors for raised blood pressure, raised blood glucose, abnormal blood lipids, overweight/obesity, and for the major chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and diabetes. Overall, 2.7 million deaths are attributable to low fruit and vegetable intake while overall 1.9 million deaths are attributable to physical inactivity.
Experts revealed that tobacco is the single largest preventable cause of cancer in the world, as it causes 80-90 percent of all lung cancer deaths, and about 30 percent of all cancer deaths, including deaths from cancer of the oral cavity, larynx, oesophagus and stomach, in the developing countries.
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