The Most Common Cancers in Pakistan: Stage at Diagnosis is a Key Indicator of Cancer Survival

Abstract

Cancer is a type of disease that causes uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the body. The entire concept of cancer covers a vast area in medical science. When a person is diagnosed with this deadly disease, the outlook highly depends on how much the disease has spread and its type, severity, and location. Sudden changes in the genes can result in faulty instruction which can certainly take the form of cancer. Some genes change proteins to repair the damaged cells which ultimately result in cancer. Some genetic changes can even take place after birth and certain factors increase the risk like excessive sun exposure and smoking. The common type of cancer in Pakistan is the cancer of the genital system among them the carcinomas of the breast are most prevalent followed by the digestive system and oral cavity cancer as stated by Saleem et al. in this issue. Other types of cancers include Respiratory system, Head and Neck tumors, Blood cancer, Lymphoma, Urinary system tumors, and the cancer of different glands. The majority of the patients were reported at the 4^th stage of cancer. Screening for cancer types did not seem to affect the survival patterns once stage had been taken into account. The advancements in Cancer research and development have highly contributed to reducing the death rates due to cancer. The only way to fight with the monstrous disease is awareness which has a direct influence on survival rates.