Role of cancer awareness in prevention of its outbreak: current scenario in Pakistan

Abstract

Cancer is one of the major threats to mankind after heart diseases. In developing countries, malnutrition and parasitic infections are more serious but cancer has a unique significance because roughly one in the five persons on the face of earth expires due to this ailment. It is traditionally thought to be a disease that has a strong bond with industrial revolution, modem world and chemicals exposed life style on the planet. Excluding the other cancers, solely breast cancer contributes 45% of its cases and 55% deaths occur in low and middle income countries like Pakistan who are in the queue of that transition stage of modernism once faced by the nations. In this review, we discuss the epidemiology, causes, challenges, screening and managerial issues along with a bird's eye view of cancer status in Pakistan that might be helpful in devising preventive and treatment strategies in the future.