Pakistan: Breast cancer kills 40,000 women annually

Noted chest oncologist, Dr Pokraj said Tuesday about 40,000 patients died due to breast cancer every year in the country. He said that if they detected and treated early, 90 percent women could survive and live a simple life. "Breast cancer can be cured upon very early detection and patients have around 90 per cent chance of survival," she said while addressing women awareness campaign about breast cancer here on Tuesday. She said it is important to focus on prevention rather than cure. She said the campaign aims to sensitize girls and women by arranging events and activities that create a direct interaction. Dr Pokraj said that since daughters are close to their mothers, they should motivate their mothers for regular breast self-examination and medical check-ups. She asked women to continuously feeding their children as it create resistance among children against fatal virus and make them healthy besides reducing risk of breast cancer. She said breast cancer is the most common cancer in women around the world. Unfortunately, Pakistan has the highest incidence of breast cancer in Asia. She said the causes of breast cancer are not yet known with certainty and research into this continues. They urged media and civil society to create awareness against this fatal disease. The function was also addressed by RA Khan and HA Naheed on the topic.