A quarter of cancer patients in Karachi do not complete treatment because of cost — Dawn
In Karachi, Pakistan, about 25% of cancer patients at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) are unable to complete treatment. Participants at the Breastcon 2026 conference cited the high cost of the latest therapies and irregular charitable support as the reasons, Dawn reports.
Cost of modern therapy
At JPMC, the largest public tertiary-care hospital in Sindh province, surgery and radiation therapy are available free of charge. However, immunotherapy and targeted therapy are expensive, causing some patients to discontinue treatment.
Ghulam Haider, head of JPMC's oncology department, said that full cancer treatment, including surgery, radiation therapy, medicines and injections, costs 3–4 million Pakistani rupees. Expenses may rise because of treatment for complications after chemotherapy.
According to him, patients receive assistance from benefactors, charitable organizations and zakat funds, but such support is not permanent. Interruptions in medicine supplies or funding can halt therapy and affect its outcome. Haider called for the introduction of permanent state assistance that would allow patients to complete treatment.
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Delays in breast cancer diagnosis
Saima Zahoor, an associate professor of medical oncology at JPMC, said that more than 60% of breast cancer patients face delays in diagnosis or treatment. She cited social pressure, fear, misconceptions and the cost of therapy among the factors.
Zahoor also drew attention to HER2-positive breast cancer, an aggressive form of the disease in which tumor cells produce an excessive amount of the HER2 protein. Treatment may require expensive targeted drugs, while seeking assistance from Baitul Mal or charitable organizations sometimes further delays the start of therapy.
Representatives of other hospitals called for the creation of a national breast cancer registry, the organization of screening, access to quality locally produced and generic medicines, and consideration of patients' financial means when prescribing treatment.
