Health advisory: Timely diagnosis of cancer ‘can help counter disease’

A majority of the population remains ignorant about the causes and symptoms of the disease

ISLAMABAD: Timely diagnosis of cancer could help experts counter the disease with lack of awareness a possible cause of high rates of cancer-related deaths, experts claim.

A majority of the population in this country remains ignorant about causes and symptoms of the disease and so neither takes preventive measures against it nor takes steps to curb it in the initial stage, stated Nuclear Institute of Medicines and Radiotherapy’s former director Professor Dr Naeem Leghari, Radio Pakistan reported.

Dr Leghari said that there are many symptoms of cancer such as if a physician fails to control non-healing wounds, unexplained fever, weight loss he must refer the patient to a cancer specialist.

He added that tobacco smoking and chewing, use of injurious "gutka", "mainpuri", "pan-parag", betel nuts etc. are the main causes of different kinds of ENT cancers among males.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 5^th, 2018.