Chances of recovery are higher if the tumour is discovered early, Vohra said. PHOTO: FILE
Post Graduate Medical Institute Principal Anjum Habib Vohra said on Saturday that brain tumours were mostly curable, and the facilities required for surgically removing tumours were now available in Pakistan. He was addressing a conference at his PGMI office in connection with World Tumour Day.
Chances of recovery are higher if the tumour is discovered early, Vohra said. He said the establishment of the Institute of Neuro Sciences at the Lahore General Hospital would create more opportunities for research in neurosurgery, and for training doctors in the field. He said the medical and diagnostic facilities necessary would also be available under one roof. He said the LGH was playing an important role in the field of neurosurgery, and many victims of traffic accidents who had suffered head injuries were brought to LGH for treatment.
Vohra said World Tumour Day was first observed by German doctors in 2000 to raise public awareness about the seriousness of brain tumours, and to improve medical facilities required for treatment.
He said neurosurgery could now be performed at all government hospitals, but there was a dearth of neurosurgeons in the country. He said there were only 17 professors of neurosurgery and 200 neurosurgeons.
Vohra said that the primary treatment for a tumour was surgery. In some cases where a tumour cannot be removed it is treated with radiation. These treatments are available in Pakistan, he said. He said a new therapy called stereotactic radio surgery had been introduced in Pakistan. He said many types of brain tumours were not fatal. “With advancements in medicine, treatment for tumours has improved.”
Published in The Express Tribune, June 8th, 2014.
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