Pakistan has the highest rate of breast cancer among any Asian country and the disease is the most frequent malignancy in women, and accounts for 38.5 percent of all female cancers which is 83,000 new cases every year.
Pink Ribbon Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign National Co-ordinator Omer Aftab said here on Tuesday that 43.7 percent of all breast cancers were locally advanced accounting to 40,000 deaths per year. However, he said people have little information on breast cancer in Pakistan.
"Many people believe that breast cancer is a death sentence. Late detection and follow up for treatment has resulted in the high levels of mortality resulting from breast cancer. With early diagnosis and the appropriate treatment, a patient's chance of surviving is higher than 90 percent," he added.
He said since October was the Pink Ribbon-Breast Cancer Awareness month world-wide, they are planning an extensive nation-wide campaign across Pakistan. Our focus is to raise awareness about the dangerously high level of incidence of breast cancer in Pakistan, disease can be detected early, even by simple self diagnosis and that life after cancer is worth living, he added.