World Cancer Day news

MN Report

KARACHI- It is estimated that around 0.2 million people become cancer patient in Pakistan every year and environmental pollution, contaminated water and smoking has a major role in it.

In-charge Cancer Ward, Civil Hospital Karachi - Dr Noor Muhammad Soomro, said World Cancer Day is marked on February 4 to raise awareness of cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection, and treatment. He said it is estimated that around 0.2 million people become cancer patient in Pakistan every year, out of which 25,000 to 30,000 are reported from Sindh province.

He said mouth cancer cases are common in Sindh province due to rising trend of chewing the chalia, pan, gutka, smoking cigarettes, sheesha and other tobaccos substance.  He said occurrence of mouth cancer can be reduced 35percent by quitting all items contain chemicals that leads towards cancer disease.

He said: it is feared that liver cancer will become a leading  disease in Pakistan in upcoming years, due to reporting of large  number of hepatitis B & C cases every year in the country. He said transplantation of liver is very costly which poor people cannot afford. He said “We have registered 125,000 patients in the last four years, out of which 12,000 are suffering from various kinds of cancer.” He said 60 to 80 patients with different kinds of cancer visits the Outpatient Department (OPD) for treatment on daily basis in the cancer ward. Senior leader of Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) Center Dr SM Qaiser Sajjad informed that cancer was rapidly spreading in developing countries like Pakistan. He said mouth, breast, liver, lungs and stomach cancer cases are more common in our country. 

Dr Qaisar sajjad said; breast cancer was considered the number-1 cancer related diseases in Pakistan, in the past, but unfortunately mouth cancer has now become number 1 in the country over the last few years, especially in Sindh province.  He said major causes of mouth cancer include; increasing trend of chewing the betel leaf, betel nut, smoking of cigarettes and Sheesha among the students and elders. He said mouth cancer is a common disease nowadays in the younger generation. People are mostly unaware about, how dangerous the liquid of betel nut and gutka is. It is produced by mixing health hazardous chemicals.

He said; rising trend of shisha smoking is another major issue faces by Pakistan nowadays, as shisha is 200 times more harmful than cigarettes. He said regular smoking of shisha may lead to cancer of the lungs, mouth, stomach and other diseases. He demanded of the government immediately impose ban on betel nut brands imports, which would automatically reduce occurrence of oral cancer in the country.