KARACHI: The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) Centre has issued a strong appeal to the Federal Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination and provincial health departments to confront Pakistan’s escalating lung cancer burden as a national health emergency.

“Delayed diagnoses, hazardous air quality, and chronic supply shortages of vital oncology medicines are collectively undermining cancer care across the country,” the association said in a message released on Saturday in connection with World Lung Cancer Day 2026.

This year, the day is being observed globally under the theme ‘Together Through Lung Cancer’.

The PMA identified key factors fueling the lung cancer epidemic in Pakistan: widespread use of combustible cigarettes, gutka, naswar and unregulated vaping products remains the primary driver of lung and oral malignancies.

PMA seeks national health emergency declaration over escalating lung cancer burden

It added that unregulated vehicular and industrial emissions, hazardous smog and particulate pollution in major urban centres are now recognised as primary environmental carcinogens.

Highlighting Pakistan’s cancer statistics, the association said the country currently records over 185,000 new cancer cases across all categories annually, with lung cancer ranking among the most fatal malignancies, particularly among men,” the association stated.

Drawing attention to national health trends, the PMA highlighted alarming clinical observations: “Approximately 78 per cent of lung cancer patients in Pakistan present at advanced stages (Stage III or IV), severely restricting curative treatment options and driving a high mortality-to-incidence ratio”.

Sharing its concern over urban factors contributing to the disease, it said that up to 30pc to 40pc of urban cases now occur in individuals with no personal smoking history, pointing to severe environmental hazards as a leading factor in the development of the disease.

According to the association, the misattribution of early lung cancer symptoms (such as persistent cough and shortness of breath) to endemic conditions like tuberculosis frequently delays proper oncological workups by crucial months.

To curb rising mortality rates and ensure equitable patient care through immediate policy action, the association demanded that the government establish a unified, mandatory cancer registry to accurately track epidemiological data, identify high-risk areas, and allocate healthcare resources effectively.

The association called for urgent federal intervention by the Ministry of Health and the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan to resolve “ongoing market shortages of essential oncology and diagnostic therapies, ensuring patients are not forced to rely on unregulated or smuggled alternatives”. It also demanded the introduction of low-cost or state-subsidised screening programmes at public tertiary hospitals for high-risk populations to ensure early detection, as well as the strict enforcement of ambient air quality standards for vehicles and industries.

“We need to strictly implement tobacco control laws in public spaces and in and around educational institutes. Expand provincial public health coverage programmes to include molecular profiling, targeted therapies, and modern immunotherapies for lung cancer patients”, it said.

The association also emphasised the need to benefit from the advancements currently underway in cancer treatment.

“Pakistani patients cannot benefit from early detection or modern therapies if basic diagnostic pathways and medicine supply chains remain fragmented. We call upon both the public to take persistent respiratory symptoms seriously and the government to prioritise oncology infrastructure in the national health budget,” it said.

Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2026