LAHORE: (Wednesday, January 29, 2020): Speakers at a conference on cancer awareness have stressed the need to create awareness among people at large for early detection of cancer in order to save precious lives. The session was organized in connection with International Conference or Research on Oncology and Cancer Sciences and Pakistan-Cancer Awareness Program (P-CAP) at Faisal Auditorium here on Wednesday. PU Vice Chancellor Prof Niaz Ahmad, Member National Assembly Dr Seemi Bukhari, Prof Dr Timothy Cox from Cambridge University, UK, Prof Dr James Shaymn from Michigan University USA, Faisalabad Medical University Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Zafar Ali Chaudhry, Co-Patron Prof Dr Arshad Cheema, Surgical Oncology Society of Pakistan President Prof Dr Haroon Javed Majid, Dr Zeeshan Danish, ICS Director Prof Dr Noshina Saleem, faculty members and a large number of students were present on the occasion. Addressing the conference, PU VC Prof Niaz Ahmad said that PU had established Cancer Research Group under which 35 different sub groups were working to fight the disease. He said that many patients detected cancer symptoms when they reached the final stage thus their survival became difficult. He said that many lives could be saved if cancer was detected at an early stage. He appreciated the efforts of Dr Arshad Cheema and Dr Zeeshan Danish for making efforts to create awareness against cancer. Prof Timothy Cox said that tobacco and oral cancer in men were two of the main reasons for premature deaths in Pakistan. Highlighting oral cancer prevention strategies, Prof Cox said that capacity building, health education and oral health promotion must be focused. He said that there should be national cancer registry and we should involve healthcare personnel with appropriate training for early oral cancer detection and referral. He also suggested girls to self examine and have tests for early detection of breast cancer. He said that we required combined cost-effective interventions to tackle highly preventable diseases. Prof Dr James Shaymn stressed the need to adopt healthy lifestyle and integrated cancer awareness strategies to cope with the fatal disease. Prof Dr Arshad Cheema said that every 9th woman in Pakistan would develop breast cancer in her lifetime. He said that lung cancer was the most common cancer worldwide in the men. He said that 40 percent of cancer could be prevented by not using tobacco, having a healthy diet, being physically active and preventing infections. He said that smoking causes more than 16 types of cancer and every fifth cancer death was due to tobacco. Prof Dr Zafar Ali Chaudhry said that ignorance and denial were the real problems to fight cancer. He said that we don’t need to fear cancer as it was completely curable if detected at an early stage. He said that excessive use of grilled or the food cooked directly on coal i.e. BBQ, pickle and highly salty food, use of various colors in food, tin-packed food, vegetables grown with polluted water etc could cause cancer. MNA Dr Seemi Bukhari said that the government was giving special attention to education and health sectors. She said that 9 new hospitals would be set up in Punjab and efforts were being made for creating a healthy society in Pakistan. She lauded the efforts of the organizers for creating awareness against cancer. Dr Zeeshan Danish said that it was his brainchild to launch Pakistan Cancer Awareness Program (P-CAP) as awareness could prevent cancer and save precious lives. Later, the participants of the conference organized an awareness walk against cancer from Faisal Auditorium to Al Raazi Hall.