RAWALPINDI, Dec 18: Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) Chief Imran Khan on Saturday announced that a bill would be introduced in the National Assembly on the availability of inexpensive cancer treatment in the country.

Speaking at ONCO 2004 11th Annual Cancer Conference, Mr Khan regretted that cancer treatment in the country was out of the reach of patients coming from middle and poor classes because they ill-afford to buy costly cancer medicine.

Mortality rate due to cancer, he said, was high in the country due to the fact that some medicines were unavailable while others were expensive.

The PTI chairman said: "We will move a legislative bill in the parliament so that the government could take measures to make cancer medicines and treatment affordable for the poor."

He stressed on establishing more cancer centres through private-public partnership. His demand echoed the pleas of renowned oncologists taking part in the conference who have also called for establishment of comprehensive cancer treatment facilities.

Other speakers at the conference attributed factors like lack of health awareness, pollution, smoking and unnecessary use of medicine to the fast spread of various types of cancers in the country.

There was a consensus among the speakers that 70 per cent of the deaths resulting from cancer could have been avoided if the disease was to be diagnosed at an early stage. Some 80 per cent cancer patients in the country report at terminal stage in contrast to the West where 80 per cent report at very initial stage.

There are some 30,000 new reported and confirmed cases of cancer in the country. A greater number remains unidentified as they do not find proper treatment opportunities.

Prominent oncologist Dr Khalida Usmani, quoting her research, said 70 per cent of the breast cancer patients in the country come from heavily polluted areas of Karachi, Faisalabad, Gujranwala and Lahore. The disease is most common among the patients falling in the 25-35 age group bracket.

Majority of the breast cancer patients are married women with more than four children. She said women must immediately report to doctors if they find a painless tumour on their breast.