Pressing issue: Early detection key to surviving breast cancer

Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital marks Breast Cancer Awareness Day

LAHORE: “I had always thought that cancer was something that happened to other people. I had never imagined that it could happen to me as well,” said Humaira Malik, a breast cancer survivor, while sharing her experience on Breast Cancer Awareness Day arranged by the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (SKMCHRC).

Wearing pink butterfly-shaped badges, hundreds of girl students from several colleges, including the University of Lahore, the Lahore College for Women University, the Government College of Home Economics and the Government APWA College for Women, attended the interactive session on Tuesday.



The SKMCHRC had arranged the event in collaboration with the International Development and Relief Foundation.

“When I got my test results, the word malignant simply would not register,” said Malik who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003.

“It’s not only the illness that you have to fight with, it is also the prejudice of society. What gets you through is your will and the desire to live a healthy life.”

Oncologists gave their opinion on topics ranging from early detection of cancer to its treatment.

For Amina Iqbal Khan, a surgical oncologist at the SKMCH, the key to early detection is self examination.

“It is a silent disease and the patient does not feel any pain at the early stage. Don’t wait for pain… self-examination is very important,” Khan said.

She talked about mammography and its role in detecting the disease early. “Women usually resist tests considering them a hassle,” she said.

Khan said girls and women should keep checking abnormal changes in their breasts, including lumps, swelling, ulceration and bleeding.

She stressed the need for women to get mammograms done when they turned 40. She recommended self examination and an annual ultrasound for those under 40 years of age.

Clinical oncologist Mazhar Ali Shah talked about treatment of the cancer. “The earlier it is detected, the greater is the survival rate,” he said.

Shah said the number of patients cured over the last 20 years had increased owing to early diagnosis. He said the highest survival rate of 95% had been observed among the patients who had detected the disease at stage 1 when the cancer was limited to breasts.

The lowest survival rate was observed for patients in stage 3 and 4. “Support of male family members is essential for cancer patients,” he said.

Shah said different treatments, including chemotherapy, had different side effects. He said doctors must alleviate fears among patients.

A questions and answers session was led by oncologist Neelam Siddiqui.

Actresses Sanam Saeed and Vaneeza Ahmed, ambassadors of the breast cancer awareness campaign 2014, interacted with students and narrated stories of cancer struggle within their families. “The aim of such campaigns is not to instill fear but to spread awareness,” SKMCHRC Chief Executive Officer Faisal Sultan said.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 15^th, 2014.