Pink Pakistan, a non-governmental organization dedicated to fighting the scourge of breast cancer, organized awareness ‘Bike Ride’ to highlight the importance of early detection in the treatment.
If the disease is caught early, women with breast cancer have an astounding 99% survival rate, though that may dip to 28% if cancer has spread.
But despite the progress, much work remains. Read on to see how far we’ve come in the fight against breast cancer — and what experts say needs to happen next.
Dr Zubaida Qazi, President of Pink Pakistan, told the attendees that most women might not have any identifiable risk factor before developing breast cancer.
She said, “there are certain conditions and lifestyles that may increase the chances of developing breast cancer. However, the general risk is that one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.
The older a woman gets, the higher the chances of developing breast cancer. A lifestyle that is not healthy can also predispose women to cancer.” Pink Pakistan organized a bike ride to promote a healthy lifestyle.
“Smoking, drinking of alcohol, and being overweight increase the chances of a woman developing breast cancer.
In addition, people who have taken certain estrogen pills as a form of contraception have increased chances of developing breast cancer.
The most common symptom that a woman will have is swelling, commonly referred to as a breast lump. But that doesn’t mean that all lumps are breast cancer.
Dr Qazi said the Pink Pakistan mobile app, available for Android and IOS, can help early detection.
“Once a woman notices a lump in the breast, she should consult a physician to confirm if it is breast cancer or not,” Dr Qazi said.
