Background and Context: Breast Cancer is a common cancer in our part of the world, 1 out of 9 women are suffering from Breast Cancer in Pakistan. Patients from rural areas are often presenting with advance disease due to illiteracy, poverty, and social factors. Detection of Breast Cancer in its early stage provides a greater chance of cure, especially when disease is only confined to the breast. This Institute has Mobile Mammography unit who is covering 360 Kilometer radius for the awareness drive with collaboration of provincial Govt: Health system, Pink Ribbon Pakistan and Aga Khan Health system. For this project equipment and manpower was provided by NIMRA, funding for scientific material and logistics was provided by UICC Geneva under Cancer Capacity Building Project.
Aim: Our aim is to diagnose Breast Cancer at an early stage by providing screening facility at the door step of rural female community and to train Health Care professionals e.g. Doctors, Lady heatlh Visitors, Lady health Workers, and Nurses working in basic health units and rural health centres to know about early diagnosis of breast cancer and their treatment. We also train female population of rural area in early detection of Breast Cancer and self examination of Breast.
Strategy/Tactics: Our team comprises oncologists, radiologists, nurses and other essential staff to pay visit fortnightly to the Rural and Basic Health Units of the area.
Programme/Policy Process: Our policy was togather medical/paramedical staff to educate them about prevention, detection and self examination of breast.
Outcomes/What was learned: This study comprises from Jan 2011 to Dec 2013 during this period total 646 patients were screened out of which 106 were suspicous of malignancy, 97 were benign and 443 were normal. Suspicous patients were refered at Breast Care Clinic NIMRA for their further diagnosis and treatment. This program helps to poor civil socity women for screening at door step and educating helth care professionals in early detection and self examination of breast.