Breast Cancer: Shaheen got a hole in her breast with indigenous tips

SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

About a year ago, Shaheen, who hails from the outskirts of the federal capital Islamabad, was diagnosed with breast cancer, but the village elders advised Shaheen's family not to undergo surgery to get rid of the disease. Instead, try indigenous tips. 

  

They were cut off and the pulp of the pine and pine tree was burnt on the fire and applied to the place of Shaheen's chest where the lump had formed. Using this tip, a hole was made in the chest where the gland was present and blood and pus started flowing from there. 

  

Shaheen, 38, succumbed to her injuries four weeks ago after suffering for several weeks. 

  

Before Shaheen's death, a friend of his, Shahnaz, had met him. Shahnaz told the BBC that when the situation worsened, he was rushed to hospital and Shaheen underwent chemotherapy at Noori Hospital in Islamabad a few times. 

  

But she could not afford to pay thousands of rupees, so she gave up treatment. 

  

The story of Salma coming to the waiting room of Shafa Hospital in Islamabad for chemotherapy is similar. 

  

Salma is 43 years old and has had not one but two breast surgeries. 

  

After a journey of several hours, she has come to Islamabad from Pakistan-administered Kashmir for treatment. But this time he could not get chemotherapy because according to his blood test reports, his results are not suitable for this treatment at present. 

  

"I think I had a lump in my breast a few months ago. I knew it for the first time while taking a bath, but I kept ignoring it," she said. When the pain got worse, I saw a doctor at a nearby hospital. I was very nervous. The operation removed the tumour, but then when I did the test, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. 

  

She says she spent one night in the hospital and spent 30,000. The doctor did a biopsy and then said she had cancer. "The doctors told me to go to the hospital in Mirpur. When I went there, the doctors said I would have to have my whole breast amputated. Then I went straight to Islamabad. There was an operation in a private hospital here but thank God my breast was not cut. 

  

Doctors said there was another lump in the breast and the cancer had reached the armpit. I'm having chemotherapy now. ' 

  

Today is World Cancer Awareness Day. According to the data released by a joint venture of private organizations, 1.7 million new cases of cancer have been reported in Pakistan during the year 2020, of which 14.5% or about 26,000 cases are of breast cancer. 

  

According to the World Health Organization, the total number of cancer cases reported in Pakistan in 2018 was more than 117,000, of which breast cancer accounted for more than 19%. And if we look at the number of cases of certain types of cancer in women only, the rate of breast cancer was 36.4%, which means that out of every 100 Pakistani women suffering from cancer, about 36 women had breast cancer. 

  

DR. Kashif is a surgical oncologist who treats and operates cancer patients in both the private and public sectors. 

  

"I see at least 15 cases a year in the capital's polyclinic hospital alone in which the patient has to undergo a second surgery," he says. 

  

But what are the reasons for this? 

  

DR. Kashif says that when the patient's first surgery is not performed properly, then a second surgery becomes necessary. 

  

"We need to understand that the disease must be treated according to the guidelines," he said. 

  

"An anxious patient and surgeon sometimes treat and get treated in a hurry, which makes the diagnosis not accurate. Diagnosis should be made first so that proper treatment is possible. Many operations in Pakistan are performed without knowing the nature of a suspicious tumour and then we often have to have another surgery. 

  

DR. Kashif says that currently 20% of female patients are those who reach the hospital at the first stage of the disease, which has the advantage that not only their breasts are not completely cut but also their chances of survival are very high. Are 

  

Hair loss, fever and nausea are common symptoms from chemotherapy, but some women also experience swelling, stiffness and severe pain in the arm after surgery. 

  

'If you notice a lump or lump on the breast due to abnormal growth, it could be a sign of cancer.' 

Although doctors forbid women from lifting weights and checking blood pressure from the operating side and are also prescribed specific massages and exercises, the affected arm weighs more than a normal arm due to the lack of surgery by a specialist surgeon. Becomes more 

  

DR. Hira of Shifa Hospital says that a major challenge for doctors in Pakistan is the late arrival of patients and expensive treatment for the disease. But the population of Pakistan and the large number of patients, the number of surgeons and doctors treating cancer is very low. 

  

DR. Arif Malik says that surgery is an important part of the treatment of breast cancer and it is a specialized field. There are very few surgeons in this field in Pakistan. 

  

He says that this year Pakistan has started a fellowship for surgeons and hopes that the problems related to surgery in the field will be lessened. 

  

Mammography to diagnose breast cancer There is a special X-ray that diagnoses the lumps in the chest and thus prevents its spread. 

  

DR Hira says there are about 250 to 300 oncologists in the country, which is a very small number, as well as the lack of provision of all facilities under the roof of a hospital and a single hospital, which greatly affects treatment. 

  

Do the above figures correspond to the crowds outside the relevant departments in an oncologist's clinic or government hospitals? 

  

DR. Arif says no and cancer hospitals in Pakistan compile their own data, but there is no cancer registry in the country and it is desperately needed. 

  

Experts say that although the risk of cancer is higher after 40 years, women are advised to get in the habit of self-examination. However, according to doctors, the number of cancer cases among women under the age of 40 has also increased in Pakistan. 

  

Dr Hira says girls should get in the habit of having their monthly check-ups from the age of 20 onwards so that they are aware of their normal size and can notice any changes immediately. 

  

She says women over the age of 40 should have an annual mammography and that anyone with a family history of cancer should see a doctor before the age of 40, and screening will help them detect any cancer early ۔