Better Reporting and Awareness Campaigns Needed for Breast Cancer in Pakistani Women

• Main Authors: Khan NH, Duan SF, Wu DD, Ji XY
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dove Medical Press 2021-03-01
• Series: Cancer Management and Research
• Subjects: breast cancer; health budget; pakistani women; reporting and awareness.
• Online Access: https://www.dovepress.com/better-reporting-and-awareness-campaigns-needed-for-breast-cancer-in-p-peer-reviewed-article-CMAR

Nazeer Hussain Khan,1,2 Shao-Feng Duan,3 Dong-Dong Wu,1,4 Xin-Ying Ji1,4,5 1Henan International Joint Laboratory for Nuclear Protein Regulation, Henan University, Kaifeng, Henan, 475004, People’s Republic of China; 2School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, Henan, 475004, People’s Republic of China; 3Institute for Innovative Drug Design and Evaluation, School of Pharmacy, Henan University, Kaifeng, Henan, 475004, People’s Republic of China; 4School of Basic Medical Sciences, Henan University College of Medicine, Kaifeng, Henan, 475004, People’s Republic of China; 5Kaifeng Key Laboratory of Infection and Biological Safety, Henan University College of Medicine, Kaifeng, Henan, 475004, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Dong-Dong Wu; Xin-Ying Ji Email [e-mail]; [e-mail]: Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer deaths in women globally. In 2018, 2.1 million new cases were reported, with 627,000 deaths. Pakistan has the highest incidence rate of breast cancer among Asian countries: one in every nine women has a lifetime risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer. By reason of many misconceptions about the etiology of the disease and socioeconomic factors, Pakistani women have very low rates of early detection and diagnose breast cancer at advance stages with fewer chances of survival. The key to cure the breast cancer is early diagnosis. The aim of current review is to highlight the factors leading to the delays in early presentation of breast cancer in Pakistani women and to summarize possible recommendations for educating women about early diagnosis along with palliative care facilities for patients suffering from breast cancer. Furthermore, this study appeals to both the general public and government in the belief that better reporting and awareness campaigns may bring more women to clinics for early diagnosis.Keywords: breast cancer, health budget, Pakistani women, better reporting; awareness campaigns