Pakistan sees alarming increase in eye cancer cases among children

Pakistan is experiencing a concerning rise in cases of eye cancer among children, according to health experts.

The alarming situation was revealed in a seminar, titled “Story of Challenges and Opportunities”.

Prof Dr Tayyab Afghani, Head of the Oculoplastics Department, said Pakistan stands at the top in Asian countries, where eye cancer is spreading rapidly, especially among children, and "here the cases of the disease are higher than in India and China".

“At least 2,000 children with eye cancer have been registered in a year, of which 500 have been fully recovered,” he added.

The medical expert further said that genetic diagnosis can reduce children’s eye cancer cases.

Of the patients who were treated in the Al-Shifa Trust Hospital over the past three years, 86 percent of them were children.

The cancer centre in Rawalpindi performed 2,500 chemotherapy procedures on children.

Maj-Gen (retd) Rehmat Khan, the President of Al-Shifa Trust, informed the attendees of the seminar that the hospital has been treating all stages of cancer — from evaluation to chemotherapy and rehabilitation — for years under one roof. 

"It is a unique source for treating patients suffering from eye cancer."

The eye cancer centre is supported by two sister departments. The first is the ophthalmology genetics department, which provides genetic screening of the parents to assess any possibility of cancer in future generations and suggests preventive measures. 

The second department is the aesthetic department, which minimises the effects of chemotherapy and radiation on the skin and face.

“Each year in Pakistan 2,200 people out of approximately 150,000 diagnosed with cancer have ocular or eye cancer because of which almost 220 people die every year,” the data available on the medical facility’s website read.