Pakistan's Supreme Court goes pink to raise breast cancer awareness

• Over 10 million Pakistani women at high risk of getting breast cancer in their lifetime.
• Healthy lifestyle can prevent breast cancer up to 40%.
  
• Around 40,000 lives are lost to breast cancer each year.
  

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan's building in the federal capital on Saturday illuminated in pink to mark the beginning of the annual breast cancer awareness month which starts on October 1 following the PINKtober Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign.

The campaign is led by Pink Ribbon Pakistan — an organisation working to raise awareness regarding breast cancer and is marked annually.

The event, at Pakistan's top court, was organised to extend solidarity with the campaign and millions of Pakistani women.

Speaking on the occasion, Pink Ribbon's founder Omer Aftab said it is an honour for his organisation to illuminate the highest court of Pakistan for such a noble cause.

"Involvement of such a sanctified institution has provided hope to thousands of breast cancer patients in Pakistan," he said in a statement issued by Pink Ribbon, expressing gratitude to Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Umar Ata Bandial for his "generous support" for the cause.

Every year, at least 40,000 lives are lost to breast cancer due to ignorance, late diagnosis, and myths related to the disease. If diagnosed at an early stage, breast cancer is the only type of cancer — among others — which can be cured successfully.

Pink Ribbon further shared that over 10 million Pakistani women are at a high risk of getting breast cancer in their lifetime, as per the new statistics.

"We need to re-establish our health structure based on better-researched statistics of disease burden. Besides this, a special focused awareness drive is required to promote the concept of 'prevention is better than cure' as a better healthy lifestyle can prevent breast cancer up to 40%," the statement read.