Breast cancer doesn’t pick and choose — it arrives like an uninvited mehmaan (guest). It doesn’t knock, it doesn’t ask — it just shows up. But here’s what most people don’t say: when caught early, it can be sent home before it overstays.
In Pakistan, the danger isn’t distant — it’s right here. One in every nine Pakistani women will face breast cancer in her lifetime. That’s not a statistic from abroad; that’s our mothers, sisters, and friends. According to Pink Ribbon Pakistan, this gives our country one of the highest lifetime risks of breast cancer in all of Asia.
And the numbers don’t stop there. Over 90,000 women are diagnosed every year, and around 40,000 lose their lives to it — that’s roughly one woman every 13 minutes.
What makes this even more tragic? Many of these deaths come from cancers that could have been treated if only they had been found sooner.
To put things in perspective:
According to the Global Cancer Observatory (GLOBOCAN 2022), Pakistan recorded 98,180 new cancer cases among women, and over 30,000 of them were breast cancer — nearly one in every three female cancers.
Data from the National Cancer Registry (2015–2019) confirms this trend: breast cancer accounts for 21.4% of all cancer cases nationwide, making it Pakistan’s #1 most diagnosed cancer overall.
The age-standardized incidence rate — a way to compare across populations — stands at 34.2 cases per 100,000 women, as reported by Aga Khan University Hospital.
But these aren’t just numbers on a chart. Each statistic represents a mother, a daughter, a friend — and a story that could have been rewritten with earlier detection.
A recent model published on PMC predicts that breast cancer incidence will rise by nearly 60.7% between 2015 and 2025 in Karachi — often used as a reference point for national data.
That means tens of thousands more women will be diagnosed this year than just a decade ago. The reasons are complex: shifting lifestyles, delayed checkups, low awareness, and a health system struggling to keep up.
While global survival rates for early-stage breast cancer hover around 80–90%, Pakistani hospitals report that many women arrive in Stage III or IV, when the disease has already advanced. And at that stage, even the best treatments can only do so much.
Hospital-based studies show that 39–45% of women in Pakistan present late — long after they first noticed symptoms. Why? Fear. Stigma. Cost. And the dangerous belief that “it’ll go away on its own.”
Lack of Awareness:
Less than half of Pakistani women can identify key warning signs of breast cancer. Self-exams are rarely practiced, and routine checkups are often skipped.
Stigma & Silence:
Talking about breasts remains taboo. Many women hide symptoms out of embarrassment or fear, delaying care until it’s too late.
Limited Access & Cost:
In rural towns, mammography machines, oncologists, and testing labs are often unavailable — or unaffordable.
Weak Data Systems:
Only 19 out of 129 major cities contribute to national cancer registries, meaning the real scale of the crisis remains invisible.
Myths & Misbeliefs:
From fears that “surgery spreads cancer” to beliefs that it’s an untreatable curse — misinformation continues to steal lives.
In Sindh, breast cancer remains the most common cancer among women, a pattern mirrored across all provinces. Studies from the Hyderabad Cancer Registry and LUMHS show a consistent rise — particularly among younger, pre-menopausal women.
Between 2020 and 2023, breast cancer topped all malignancies in Sindh. In 2024 alone, about 140 new cases were recorded at select institutions — numbers that likely represent only a fraction of the true burden, since rural cases often go unreported. But Sindh isn’t an exception — it’s a reflection. From Punjab to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, hospital data reveal the same pattern: more cases, younger patients, and later diagnoses.
The disease has quietly grown into a nationwide public health emergency — one hidden behind silence.
In breast cancer, timing is everything.
At Stage I, survival chances exceed 90%.
At Stage III or IV, those odds can drop below 30%.
That’s how drastically early detection transforms outcomes. Yet in Pakistan, most women discover the disease when it has already spread — not because they didn’t care, but because no one told them what to look for, or where to go.
Through its Tele-Tabeeb 1123 medical consultancy, SIEHS is bridging healthcare gaps by offering free virtual consultations with doctors and counsellors — making medical guidance and early support accessible to women everywhere, even in remote areas.
Alongside this, hospitals, NGOs, and awareness groups are leading screening drives, outreach sessions, and education campaigns across the country to promote early detection. If even a fraction of women start monthly self-exams, annual clinical checkups, and early biopsies for suspicious lumps, Pakistan’s breast cancer survival rate could improve dramatically within just a few years.
🩷 Teach breast self-exams to the women in your life
🩺 Encourage women over 40 to get mammograms (where available)
📞 Call 1123 (Tele-Tabeeb) for free guidance and doctor consultations
💬 Talk about it — because silence has already cost too many lives
Breast cancer survival isn’t about luck — it’s about timing, awareness, and action.
Pakistan cannot afford to stay quiet when nearly one in three female cancers is breast cancer. Help is closer than it seems — and it begins with one call, one check, one honest conversation.
Your health is your strength. Early action saves lives.
📞 Call Tele-Tabeeb 1123 today.
