Pakistani women are more likely to be diagnosed with more dangerous types of breast cancer at an early age.
This was revealed in a medical study conducted in the United States.
The study, by the Rutgers School of Public Health and the Rutgers Cancer Institute, looked at the rate of breast cancer in white women, along with Pakistani and Indian women, between 1990 and 2014.
Research published in the medical journal International Journal of Cancer found that Pakistani and Indian women are more likely than others to be diagnosed with more serious forms of breast cancer in their youth.
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The researchers said the findings provided details of breast cancer in Pakistani and Indian women and indicated that more research was needed to better understand the factors that led to this deadly disease.
According to the study, the rate of breast cancer among women from South Asian countries is very high in the United States, but so far there were not many details about this disease in socio-culturally unique nations.
The study looked at data on the characteristics, treatment and survival of this deadly disease in about 5,000 Pakistani and Indian women and more than 482,000 white women between 2000 and 2016 who were diagnosed with breast cancer.
Researchers found that in the past, Pakistani and Indian women had lower rates of breast cancer than white women, but in recent years the rate of diagnosis has increased.
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Research has shown that Pakistani and Indian women are more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer at an early age, even at an advanced stage.
A report last week said that an estimated 50,000 women die of breast cancer each year in Pakistan, the highest rate of breast cancer in Asia. 90,000 new cases are being reported.
This was stated by the experts at a seminar held at Karachi University in collaboration with the Punk Pakistan Trust (PPT).
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Zubeida Qazi, Founder and President of Pink Pakistan Trust, said that since the initial diagnosis and public awareness campaign for breast cancer, the number of cases worldwide has come down by 30% but in Pakistan and other Asian countries. The disease is on the rise due to lack of awareness and facilities for cancer diagnosis.
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He said that one out of every nine women in Pakistan gets breast cancer at some stage of life.
According to the president of the Punk Pakistan Trust, 49 per cent of the country’s population is women, including 3 million women between the ages of 40 and 45 who are at high risk for the disease.
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“Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in Pakistani women after skin cancer, even now we have it,” said Dr Zubeida Qazi, citing figures from the WHO and other organizations on the number of breast cancer cases in Pakistan. Young girls are also seeing advanced stages of breast cancer, which is having a negative effect on the diagnosis.
Dr. Zubeida said that the biggest risk for breast cancer is to be found in the family.