ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s first web series on breast cancer awareness will be released on the internet next month (April).

It is written by renowned writer Haseena Moin, who is also a breast cancer survivor.

This was stated during a media briefing held at a local hotel.

The story of Abhi Nahi, tackles the theme of ‘In sickness or in health’ while removing the stigma of breast cancer in society, showing how a man can channel his love and commitment to bring about a holistic and positive impact.

Haseena Moin said: “I am myself a cancer survivor and when I was asked to write this play, I wanted to put my heart and soul in it to tell the young girls and mothers with basic message that let’s fight cancer together.”

Nida Karim, the lead in the web series, said: “I always wanted to do a character that was meaningful and had the power to communicate a certain message.”

Dr Aziz Rab, Chief Executive Officer of Green-Star, is playing the role of father and Noman Sami is the lead hero in the series. Sami is a Pakistani television and film actor.

RINSTRA Chief Creative Officer (CEO) Misbah Ishak Khalid, who is producing and directing the web series, said: “Abhi Nahi is a subject very close to her heart.

“I have tried to share the story from a holistic perspective, every character to depict how a family member feels when such an issue is faced by any family.”

Pakistan has the highest rate of breast cancer than any other Asian country, as approximately 90,000 new cases are diagnosed every year out of which 40,000 die, according to statement shared with the participants.

One in nine women in Pakistan is either suffering from breast cancer or is at the risk of developing it. About 77pc of invasive breast cancer occurred in women above the age of 50 years but if diagnosed early the survival rates approach 90pc. As of 2020, out of all types of cancers, 28.7pc of new cases were breast cancer alone.

Breast cancer surpassed lung cancer as the leading cause of global cancer incidence in 2020 with an estimated 2.3 million new cases, representing 11.7pc of all cancer cases. It is the fifth leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide with 685,000 deaths.

Among women, breast cancer accounts for one in four cancer cases and for one in six cancer deaths, ranking first for incidence in the vast majority of countries (159 of 185 countries) and for mortality in 110 countries.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2021