ISLAMABAD: Breast cancer patients should be optimistic while receiving treatment, because the disease is curable if diagnosed and treated in a timely manner, Foreign Affairs Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry said at a seminar on Saturday.

Mr Chaudhry was speaking at a public awareness seminar on breast cancer at the Nuclear Medicine, Oncology and Radiotherapy Institute (NORI).

He emphasised the importance of early detection of breast cancer, and reiterated that patients should pass on information and everyone should play a role in raising awareness about the disease.

The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission cancer hospital, NORI, dedicated October to a cancer awareness campaign, organising seminars, symposia and various other programmes.

Free consultations and screenings, including mammography and ultrasonography were provided for free for the whole month.

The chairman of the commission, Mohammad Naeem, told guests that over 80pc of Pakistan`s cancer patients are treated at the commission`s cancer hospitals.

There are currently 18 cancer hospitals across the country, and more will be established in the coming years.

He said that while cancer is a devastating trauma for patients and the patient`s family, if diagnosed and treated in its early stages it is curable.

Head of oncology Dr Humera Mahmood also delivered a lecture at the seminar, titled `Why to take chance when you can do something about it, breast cancer a treatable disease`.

A Reporter