LAHORE: World Cancer Day was observed in a number of countries, including Pakistan, on Saturday in order to create awareness among the public about the disease.

A number of seminars, workshops and discussions were held at different hospitals of the provincial metropolis to raise awareness among the masses about the deadly disease. According to health professionals, prevention offers the most cost-effective and long-term strategy for the control of cancer.

According to health experts, cancer is a leading cause of death around the world, as the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated that 84 million people would die of cancer between 2005 and 2015.

The main types of cancers contributing to overall cancer mortality each year are lung cancer with 1.4 million deaths per year, stomach cancer with 866,000 deaths, liver cancer with 653,000 deaths, colon cancer with 677,000 deaths and breast cancer with 548,000 deaths.

Health experts were also of the view that early detection of cancer greatly increased the chances for successful treatment. They said cancer was the uncontrolled growth and spread of cells. They added that it could affect almost any part of the body and the growths often invaded surrounding tissue and could metastasise to distant sites.

They further said that early diagnosis was particularly relevant for cancers of the breast, cervix, mouth, larynx, colon, rectum, and skin. Some early signs of cancer include lumps, sores that fail to heal, abnormal bleeding, persistent indigestion, and chronic hoarseness. They added the treatment facilities were only available in hospitals of Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad and the total expenditure involved in the treatment was around $6,000, which is an exorbitant amount for the majority of the population.

 

Incoming search terms: