THE month of October is observed as breast cancer awareness month around the world, and many organisations run extensive campaigns in this regard in the country as well. Unfortunately, in Pakistan, women have to face the additional challenge of the stigma associated with the disease. Women have shared stories of their husbands leaving them post-diagnosis, having already condemned them to death inside their minds.

It is important that we empower women around us so that they may take decisions about their own health. This empowerment can come with increased awareness and knowledge about the subject. We should encourage women to seek medical attention if they feel any changes beyond what is normal.

The stigma associated with breast cancer is prevalent irrespective of the socio-cultural background. However, consistent efforts by socially responsible organisations and participation of the public in breast cancer awareness activities have proven to be fruitful as evident by a reportedly improved 10-year survival rate for breast cancer patients by 25-30 per cent over the past two decades.

We are fortunate to live in a time when improved treatment facilities mean that women with breast cancer are able to live longer. Dr Sidhartha Mukherjee has mentioned in his book, Emperor Of All Maladies, that for about 90 years between 1891 and 1981, radical mastectomy was the norm. The disfiguring procedures would remove the breast, pectoral muscles and even the chest wall, and sometimes the ribs and parts of the sternum as well, putting women through immense suffering. The idea was to remove as much cancer as possible by cutting it out.

Subsequently, there was a trial, and a study was published in 1981 which discredited the idea of how breast cancer treatment was understood at the time. As a result, radical mastectomy is rarely performed now. Minimal, breast-conserving treatment options are possible along with chemotherapy and radiation therapy. We should take advantage of this advancement in medicine related to breast cancer and focus on early detection to save lives.

Mariam Khan
Lahore

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2021