As many as 860 patients in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) are suffering from chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), a form of blood cancer, while every month 15 to 20 people are diagnosed with the disease.
This was stated at a seminar held at Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC) on Thursday to mark World CML Day. The day is observed across the world on September 22.
Speaking at the seminar, Professor Dr Abid Jameel, the head of HMC’s oncology department, said there are 860 registered CML patients in K-P and at the moment HMC is treating 62.
Giving a rough idea of the spread, the doctor explained Peshawar has the highest number of registered CML patients, 116, followed by Mardan with 68 patients. There are 61 patients in Charsadda, 57 in Swabi, 53 in Swat, 43 in Lower Dir, 41 in Nowshera, 30 in Malakand and 24 in Kohat.
Chronic myeloid leukaemia occurs due to a gene mutation in the blood cells. The mutation causes the production of large quantities of white blood cells in the bone marrow, which subsequently leads to more white cells in the blood, leaving little room for healthy white and red blood cells as well as platelets.
Jameel added in western countries the disease occurs mostly in patients above the age of 50. However, in Pakistan CML is more common in patients between the ages of 35 and 45.
Dr Jameel said the CML care centre established at HMC was a five-year joint initiative of Novartis Pharma Pakistan and the government of K-P, and in the past three years Rs8 billion has been spent on the treatment and rehabilitation of CML patients.
However, for the last three months the project has been on a hold and the provincial government will hopefully restart it within a month, said Dr Jameel.
HMC Chief Executive Dr Mumtaz Marwat also highlighted the hospital’s efforts for the diagnosis and treatment of CML patients, saying they were providing free medicines and treatment facilities.
Friday, September 26, 2014
From a mutation: Peshawar reports highest number of chronic myeloid leukaemia patients
As many as 860 patients in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) are suffering from chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), a form of blood cancer, while every month 15 to 20 people are diagnosed with the disease.
This was stated at a seminar held at Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC) on Thursday to mark World CML Day. The day is observed across the world on September 22.
Speaking at the seminar, Professor Dr Abid Jameel, the head of HMC’s oncology department, said there are 860 registered CML patients in K-P and at the moment HMC is treating 62.
Giving a rough idea of the spread, the doctor explained Peshawar has the highest number of registered CML patients, 116, followed by Mardan with 68 patients. There are 61 patients in Charsadda, 57 in Swabi, 53 in Swat, 43 in Lower Dir, 41 in Nowshera, 30 in Malakand and 24 in Kohat.
Chronic myeloid leukaemia occurs due to a gene mutation in the blood cells. The mutation causes the production of large quantities of white blood cells in the bone marrow, which subsequently leads to more white cells in the blood, leaving little room for healthy white and red blood cells as well as platelets.
Jameel added in western countries the disease occurs mostly in patients above the age of 50. However, in Pakistan CML is more common in patients between the ages of 35 and 45.
Dr Jameel said the CML care centre established at HMC was a five-year joint initiative of Novartis Pharma Pakistan and the government of K-P, and in the past three years Rs8 billion has been spent on the treatment and rehabilitation of CML patients.
However, for the last three months the project has been on a hold and the provincial government will hopefully restart it within a month, said Dr Jameel.
HMC Chief Executive Dr Mumtaz Marwat also highlighted the hospital’s efforts for the diagnosis and treatment of CML patients, saying they were providing free medicines and treatment facilities.
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