KARACHI: Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2024 concluded on Thursday, with several universities holding programmes throughout the week to highlight the challenges and stigmas surrounding this critical health issue—a disease that claims an estimated 40,000 women’s lives in Pakistan each year and affects around 90,000 more.

“Early detection and awareness are crucial in the fight against breast cancer,” said Jinnah Sindh Medical University (JSMU) Vice Chancellor Prof. Amjad Siraj Memon at a recent conference held at the university. He added that the event aimed to equip women with the knowledge to seek timely medical attention.

The conference was jointly organised by JSMU, Continuing Medical Education (CME), Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), and the Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA).

“The conference is part of our efforts to address the growing burden of breast cancer in the country, where over 40,000 women succumb to the disease annually, with an estimated 90,000 new cases reported each year,” said CME Director Dr Rahat Naz, noting that the disease is treatable, especially if caught early.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month concludes

At a symposium at Dow Medical College, experts highlighted that Pakistan has the highest breast cancer incidence rate in Asia. “Unfortunately, most cases are diagnosed at Stages III and IV, mainly due to avoidance of screening. Timely mammographic screening can significantly reduce breast cancer-related deaths,” said DMC Principal Prof. Saba Sohail.

Prof. Sohail also presented research showing that 63.4 per cent of the Pakistani population wrongly believes that mammography causes breast cancer (due to radiation), another 63.4pc thinks biopsy causes it, and 38.7pc attributes it to the evil eye.

“Over 75pc of women affected by breast cancer do not have a family history of the disease,” she added.

Dr. Raja Rahul later presented statistics from Civil Hospital Karachi, revealing that of the 5,051 cancer patients registered at the hospital between 2020 and 2024, 34pc were breast cancer cases. “In 2024 alone, 731 cancer patients were registered, including 140 cases of breast cancer,” he said.

Ziauddin University concluded its awareness campaign with a poster competition that attracted over 200 submissions from all campuses and colleges within the university. The winners were: Marya Darugar (first place) from the College of Dentistry, Hudabiya Naaz (second place) from the College of Rehabilitation Sciences, and Kashaf Diam (third place) from the College of Medical Technology.

Published in Dawn, November 1st, 2024