ISLAMABAD, Oct 22 (INP): Pak-China Friendship Hospital has rolled out mammography service to treat cancer patients in Gwadar.  Provincial Minister for Planning and Development Mir Zahoor Ahmed inaugurated the service. Talking to Gwadar Pro on Tuesday, Dr. Affan Faiq, Head of Cancer Department, Pak-China Friendship that for females in Gwadar, Balochistan, the most prevalent cancer is breast cancer. "The service offers screening mammography, diagnostic mammography, ductography and needle localization," he said, adding that the service is provided by dedicated female technologists under supervision of a radiologist. He said that the incidence of breast cancer is increasing in Balochistan. 

To address the challenges of lack of awareness of the importance of screening, cultural factors and limited resources, Pak-China Friendship Hospital has established free cancer screening and clinical breast exams (CBE) for women. "Mammography plays a central part in early detection of breast cancers because it can show changes in the breast up to two years before a patient or physician can feel them. Research has shown that annual mammograms above age 40 can lead to early detection of breast cancers when they are curable and breast-conservation therapies are available," he mentioned. In 2022, there were 2.3 million women diagnosed with breast cancer and 670,000 deaths globally.  Breast cancer occurs in every country of the world in women at any age after puberty but with increasing rates in later life.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP) — Pak-China