Breast cancer – Pakistan Gender News

November 14, 2018November 15, 2018

Breast cancer awareness need of the hour

KARACHI – Karachi University Sociology Department Chairperson Prof Dr Rana Saba Sultan has said that thousands of women are suffering from breast cancer in the country due to the lack of awareness while majority of them lose their lives.

She was addressing at the awareness seminar on breast cancer organised by department of sociology in collaboration with Nusrat Education and Health Welfare Trust.

“Only due to lack of awareness, South Asian countries particularly Pakistan, the death rate of breast cancer patients is high. Majority of ladies in Pakistan are diagnosed in last stage which is a dilemma. Any change and irregular feeling on breasts may be a symptom of breast cancer , women shouldn’t ignore it and contact their doctor,” Prof Saba held.

Prof Saba added that the purpose of this seminar was to raise awareness regarding breast cancer in the country. She briefed the audience about the major details of the diseases and called for raising countrywide awareness of this disease among masses.

Associate Professor Sociology Department KU Dr Naila Usman Siddiqui said that the major reason of spreading of breast cancer is our societal behavior, we consider it a taboo in our society to discuss it. Women feel ashamed of discussing it and stay silent which ultimately becomes harmful when it reaches the last stage. Sonia Sarfaraz Sorani said that October is the month of awareness of breast cancer .One woman in every nine women has this disease.

In the rural areas of the country, this disease has been completely neglected and considered as a taboo. As many as 77 percent of women above the age of 50 are likely to be affected from this disease, she added.

The Nation

September 8, 2018

Report shows alarming rise in breast cancer cases

KARACHI: Describing breast cancer as the leading cancer in its 2017 report, the Karachi Cancer Registry (KCR) has reported that it forms over 41 per cent of cancers among females and leads as well among all the malignancies recorded in both genders.

“Overall,” said Dr Shahid Pervez of Aga Khan University Hospital on Thursday, “cancer of the oral cavity was found to be the leading malignancy (15.7pc) in males and in females breast cancer continued to top the list (41.2pc).”

Aggregating both genders, he added, breast cancer was the leading malignancy (21.3pc) followed by cancer of the oral cavity, colorectal cancer and liver cancer.

The KCR’s annual report, unveiled at the Karachi Press Club, shows the registry, which was revived after a gap of around a decade, highlighted “near-epidemic proportions” of breast cancer in females and oral (mouth) cancer in both males and females.

It said that when cancers were divided amongst two genders, in males, cancer of oral cavity was found to be the leading malignancy (15.7pc) followed by liver cancer and colorectal cancer.

In females, breast cancer is followed by cancers of oral cavity, ovary and colorectal cancer.

Similarly, the cancer data in children shows hematolymphoid malignancies like leukaemia and lymphomas as the leading cancer followed by brain and bone malignancies.

The KCR, which was formed by the Sindh government in 1995 and got dormant for more than a decade before being revived last year, shows in its report that breast cancer was 33.1pc in females between 1995 and 1997, which has increased alarmingly to 41.3pc in 2017.

Oral cavity cancer among females has decreased from 8.6pc in 1995-97 to 5.5pc last year.

However, among males, this is the leading cancer type, which was 11pc in 1995-97 and is now recorded at 15.7pc.

It said that about 90pc of oral (mouth) cancers were diagnosed in chewers of paan, chhalia, gutka and smokeless tobacco including naswar, hence these malignancies are preventable.

“Both breast and mouth cancers are also frequently diagnosed among young adults. This alarming scenario demands urgent attention to increase awareness about healthy lifestyle and highly adverse effects of chewing tobacco on one hand and screening programmes for early detection of breast and mouth cancer on the other.

“It has also been noted that colorectal (large intestine) cancer is on the rise and is ranked as third and fourth most common cancer in males and females respectively,” said the report.

It added that historically colorectal cancer was more prevalent in developed countries like Western Europe and North America.

“This increase may likely be due to western lifestyle and ever-increasing consumption of fast food and high-fat diet.”

It said liver cancer was also a very common cancer due to a high burden of hepatitis B and C in local population, which ranked as fourth most common cancer overall.

“Government’s attention at both provincial and central levels is urgently needed at preventive, early diagnostic (screening) as well as interventional levels,” said the report.

Cancer in children

The report says that out of a total of 7,015 cases received from five participating centres or hospitals, 110 — 65 boys and 45 girls — were children aged less than five years. Another 317 children — 223 boys and 94 girls — were aged between five to 14 years.

Hematolymphoid malignancies top the cancers among children which constituted 26.3pc of all with 23.5pc in boys and 32.7pc in girls. It was followed by brain malignancy (8.7pc).

Other malignancies were bone and articular cartilage, connective and soft issue, kidney and other urinary organ, eye, colon-rectum, endocrine gland and related structure, oral cavity, thymus, heart, pleura, skin and testis.

Dr Pervez said the KCR had started collection of cancer data from 2017 and invited all cancer diagnosing and treating doctors to send data on voluntary basis.

To date, he added, 11 sites had agreed to share their data with the KCR. However, data of a total of 7,015 cases was received from five participating hospitals. Out of those, 3,597 were males and 3,418 females.

Dawn

January 5, 2016

Breast cancer increasing among young women in Pakistan, experts warn

KARACHI: Experts at an awareness session titled ‘Breast cancer: is it preventable?’ expressed their concern on the alarming numbers of breast cancer cases in younger age groups and even among unmarried girls in Pakistan as compared to the rest of the world.

Gathered at the PMA House on Monday, they said that breast cancer was becoming common in Pakistani women in their forties and that one patient in every nine cases of all types of cancers in Pakistan suffered from breast cancer.

The session was the second from among five public awareness programmes chalked out to be held in the run-up to the Pakistan-China Medical Congress scheduled to open on Friday in Karachi.

Emphasising the importance of family history, experts said a woman or girl having history of breast, colon or ovarian cancer in her family, especially mother or grandmother, had an increased risk of breast cancer.

For diagnosing the disease at an early stage, each girl after experiencing the start of her menstrual period should self-examine to detect any gland with or without pain. If spotted she should immediately consult a specialist or consultant for further check-up and screening.

Dr Farah Idrees Rehmani of the Dow University of Health Sciences said there were many misconceptions among the general public about breast cancer. People consider it a lethal disease with severe pain and diagnosed at a terminal stage. They also believe that the disease happened to an older age group. “Breast cancer starts with a small size gland more often without pain,” she said.

She added that women older than 60 years suffered from breast cancer in other parts of world but the situation was different in Pakistan where “we are witnessing cases in women in their 40s. Almost 15 per cent of these cases involve unmarried girls.”

Prolonged use of estrogen like in oral birth control pills could also increase the risk of breast cancer in the next generation of woman, she said. Woman having their first baby after the age of 30 years further increased their risk.

Dr Idrees said there was no cancer registry at the national level, however, an examination of data from Islamabad and Karachi cancer registries showed that every ninth case of all cancers was diagnosed as breast cancer in women. As for men, breast cancer was diagnosed in one in every 100 men.

Though awareness among the masses was on the rise, yet, patients were reaching hospital at later stages of the disease.

Dr Muhammad Asif Qureshi of Darul Sehat Hospital said mammograms were a routine diagnostic tool nowadays for detecting the disease in women in their forties. He said it was least harmful and very important in diagnosing the disease.

Dr Shaukat Malik, president of the Karachi chapter of the PMA, said screening and diagnosis facilities were better in public sector hospitals in Karachi and this needed to be replicated in other parts of Sindh as well. “A recent study finds that in every 100 cases of cancers, 40 are of breast cancer which should alarm everyone,” he said.

Dawn

November 6, 2015November 16, 2015

Breast cancer spreading rapidly across Asia’

BAHAWALPUR: “Breast cancer is a “chronic disease” that is spreading rapidly across Asia due to lack of awareness and archaic social norms,” speakers at a seminar organised on Thursday at Islamia University Bahawalpur (IUB) remarked.

The speakers said the cancer could be cured if it was detected in its formative stage. They said this made it crucial to launch a comprehensive campaign to spread public awareness to save lives.

Breast cancer: Think pink

The speakers said the prohibitive cost of treating the cancer and lack of awareness regarding it had culminated in one in nine people suffering from the disease. They said this called for concerted efforts. They said the media and educational institutions had a pivotal role to essay with regard to raising awareness about the cancer.

The speakers said there was a pressing need for their cooperation in this regard as backwardness, poverty and paucity of health facilities had exacerbated the prevalence of the disease. They called for relevant efforts to mount a concerted effort to curb the prevalence of the disease and revamp the state of public health. Those present on the occasion were exhorted to proliferate what they learnt at the seminar by the speakers. Asia Shahid of Bahawal Victoria Hospital shed light on the symptoms, diagnostic process and treatment of the cancer. Maimoona Ghani of the IUB also spoke at the seminar. Over 200 Islamia University students and instructors were present on the occasion. The event was jointly organised BY IUB, the Higher Education Campaign and the Pink Ribbon Campaign Pakistan.

Express Tribune

November 2, 2015November 4, 2015

Women’s health: Park goes pink for breast cancer awareness

By: Amel Ghani

LAHORE: Those who visited the polo lounge at Race Course Park on Sunday saw the park lit up in shades of pink. Scores of people were seen wearing pink clothes as they gathered to raise awareness of breast cancer.

The event, titled Polo in Pink, was organised by Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in collaboration with Happy Cow Cheese and the Lahore Polo Club. There was a miniature plane show, a polo match a cavalcade and live musical performances.

“It is heartening to see such support for the cause,” said Neelam Amjad, who was wearing a pink jacket. “People have an opportunity to discuss a serious cause in a festive manner. It encourages people to talk about the issue,” she said.

Singer Hadiqa Kiyani, an ambassador for the cause, said, “I want to request all women to take this issue very seriously. Get regular checkups. They could save your life.”

Kiyani said it was important that women above the age of 20 get mammograms every year. “It should be made mandatory for women above the age of 40 because early detection is pivotal for the cure,” she said.

A pink van on the venue offered examinations on the spot.

“Many women don’t take adequate care of their health because they wish to avoid hassle at a hospital,” said Sajida Hussain, a guest at the event.

The air show was a hit. The two miniature planes were controlled by Jehanzeb Zia and Syed Hassan Jafri.

A group of horse-riding enthusiasts also participated in the event. Supporting pink shirts, they took a round of the polo ground. “The handler managed our reigns and took the horses around,” said Abdul Adal, student of grade 4.

“Almost 20 boys participated in the event because we all want to raise awareness about breast cancer,” said Haider Hafeez Sarmad, a student of grade 5.

A polo match was organised between two teams. Players were supporting t-shirts from the campaign. Abdul Hayee, part of Pakistan’s team at the Polo World Cup, was participated in the event. The event ended with a musical performance by the Quadrangle.

Express Tribune