HYDERABAD:The Department of Surgery, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences Jamshoro on Saturday organized a breast cancer awareness programme at Liaquat University Hospital, Hyderabad.
Addressing the participants, the Vice Chancellor LUMHS Prof. Dr Ikram Din Ujjan informed that Pakistan had the “highest rate of breast cancer in Asia” and the latest demographic trends suggested that this rate is “likely to further increase” in the coming year.
He said that the identification of breast cancer at an early stage had a significant impact on reducing both illness and death. Mammographic screening was also linked with a variety of socio-cultural and economic factors, he added.
However, Dr Ikram said women in Pakistan tend to approach health facilities at the last stage of cancer due to the overabundance of socio-economic and cultural factors such as age, employment status, lack of awareness, fear of surgery, belief in traditional treatments, and spiritual healing.
In Pakistan, he informed that 89 percent of breast cancer patients were diagnosed at a later stage and 59 percent at an advanced stage due to lack of awareness.
The vice-chancellor said the fear of stigmatization and feminine sensitivity limits the choice of treatment and early detection of breast cancer in low- and middle-income countries. In addition, physical barriers also become a source of psychosocial stress, as patients show hesitancy to undergo the exhausting screening and treatment process, he added.
The Chairperson Department of Surgery LUMHS, Jamshoro Prof. Dr Ambreen Muneer informed that in Pakistan, one in eight women develops breast cancer at some stage of their lives. Every year, thousands of females lose their lives due to lack of awareness, she said, adding a “large number of women do not share their health issues” with others and are shy to go for any kind of breast examination.
She highlighted that breast cancer had affected not only elder women but younger people too. “Around 77 percent of women with breast cancer are over the age of 50”, she informed, adding that till the age of 40 women were physically active. Every woman should have a mammogram and a physical examination by a doctor at least every two years, she suggested.
She said that the prognosis or outcome of breast cancer was largely dependent on the stage of the disease, adding the smaller the tumor, the lesser the procedure/treatment necessary, the lesser the cost of treatment, and the better the outcome and survival. It was very important to understand that early breast cancer usually does not cause symptoms
and might not be felt on self-examination or even on an examination by a professional, she stressed.
She said that screening mammograms help in the early detection of Breast Cancer.
She advised the women to get screening mammograms done every year, after the age of 40. If a female had a family history of breast cancer or other risk factors, the doctor must advise her to get them even sooner, she added.
The guest speaker, Dr Kousar Rehman, Consultant Breast Oncoplastic and Reconstructive Surgeon, South City Hospital Karachi also shared her views on the early detection, awareness and timely treatment of breast cancer.