MINGORA, Oct 16 (APP):First Lady Begum Samina Arif Alvi, while highlighting significance of creating awareness among women against breast cancer, said on Friday that disease was a silent killer as it crept up on other body parts, if not detected at early stage.
Addressing a breast cancer awareness seminar, she said according to the World Health Organization, about one million women fell prey to the deadly disease across the world and
40,000 in Pakistan annually.
The number of breast cancer cases might be far greater as majority of the women did not
disclose suffering from the disease due to social taboos, she said.
Begum Alvi said the non-serious approach towards the fatal disease was creating further complications for breast cancer patients in the country, which had meager treatment facilities for the ailment.
She urged the womenfolk to have awareness about the breast cancer and inform their family members timely about any abnormality in the body. An early diagnosis was the best option to treat the breast cancer.
She said the women, having the family history of cancer were more susceptible to the disease and cautioned that there was great probability of the re-emergence of the disease in women who had been successfully treated.
She also appreciated the media for creating awareness against the breast cancer and underscored the need of coordination among the non-governmental organizations for the purpose.
Begum Alvi also urged the provincial governments to expedite their efforts to control the breast cancer and improve treatment facilities for its patients.
She also lauded the efforts of Saidu Medical College Swat, Women Medical College Abbottabad, Pakistan Medical Association and Women Medical and Dental College Swat for creating awareness against the breast cancer.
Professor Dr Israr-ul-Haq, and Principal Women Medical and Dental College Abbottabad, Professor Dr Salma Aslam Kundi were present on the occasion.
