Number of people living with brain tumours increasing: experts
Speakers at an awareness session stated that brain tumours can be treated with timely diagnosis. They said simple lifestyle, regular exercise, adequate sleep and avoidance of mental stress are the best preventive measures to prevent diseases like brain tumours. Due to lack of awareness, the number of brain tumour patients is increasing in Pakistan.
Executive Director PINS and renowned neurosurgeon Prof Asif Bashir, while addressing on the occasion urged young doctors to focus on modern research in the field of neurosurgery. He added that a highly skilled and experienced medical team is working at PINS, and modern equipment such as neuron-avigation system and high magnification exoscop, successful operations of complex brain tumours are possible at PINS. He appealed to the Punjab government to provide Gamma Knife Technology (GKT) to further benefit the patients.
He said, 'This technology (GKT)is a non-surgical treatment method that can prove to be very useful for brain tumour patients. If this facility is provided, it will be a revolutionary step for the patients.'
He highlighted, 'According to the World Health Organization, brain tumour is a disease seen in all societies today, whose total number of patients is estimated at 15 million, globally, the number of women suffering from this disease is more than men. Early diagnosis of brain tumour is very important, once diagnosed, there should be no delay in starting immediate treatment of the patient.'
He emphasized, 'The diagnosis of brain tumour in new patients is made through MRI and CT scan. There can be many reasons for the formation of tumours in the human brain, but it is a given that these reasons also include mental stress.' He said that there are 120 types of this disease, but two types, benign and malignant, spread rapidly and are relatively more dangerous. Brain tumours can attack at any age, but are usually found in people over 35 years of age.
He said, 'The symptoms of the disease include persistent headaches, nausea, changes in voice, vision, hearing, tingling in the arm or leg, and muscle twitching. One-third of brain tumour patients die after fighting the disease for five years.'
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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