A report by the Dow University of Health Sciences has raised alarm about the lack of a national database of cancer cases and the high incidence of the illness reported in Karachi over the past decade. Stating that 22,858 cancer cases were reported at Dow Cancer Registry, which has the largest network of diagnostic centres in the city, between 2010 and 2019, the report calls on policy-makers to devise appropriate strategies for cancer prevention and control. Pointing out that numerous cancer cases are not indexed in the absence of a database containing country-wide records, the report underlines the need for establishing registries at regional levels. According to the report, of the cases reported during the past decade, most were of breast cancer, followed by oral cancer and oesophageal cancer. It identifies that oral cancer has the highest incidence among males, while also stressing the need for addressing the rise of brain cancer and those related to the nervous system among children.

Source: The Express Tribune October 03, 2020 04:37 UTC