President Dr Arif Alvi has said that the early diagnosis of breast cancer was crucial to prevent death, according to Radio Pakistan.

In a statement issued on Monday, he stressed the need to raise awareness about breast cancer.

Alvi pointed out that around 44 per cent cancer cases in Pakistani women were those of breast cancer. “Early diagnosis of the disease increases the possibility of getting rid of the disease by 98%”

He highlighted that among Pakistani women who had this type of cancer, around 50% of them died due to a lack of early diagnosis of the disease.

He, however, regretted that due to the subject of this disease being a taboo in society, women were unable to have this type of cancer diagnosed, which eventually led to an increase in the rate of mortality. 

The president advised that women should be encouraged to self-check once in every three months. “As many as 50,000 out of 100,000 women die due to late diagnosis.”

President Alvi further said that women should be encouraged to get medical examination for breast cancer every three months. “First Lady Samina Alvi and her team has prepared different programmes to create awareness among the people about this disease during the month of October. These programmes were aimed at highlighting the importance of self-diagnosis to minimise the chances of breast cancer.”

He clarified that the awareness programmes would emphasise the importance of early diagnosis of breast cancer.

The president urged members of civil society to support the government in raising awareness about the disease.