Modern brain tumour treatment facilities available at PINS

LAHORE: Brain tumours can be treated with timely diagnosis. Simple lifestyle, regular exercise, adequate sleep and avoidance of mental stress are the best preventive measures to prevent diseases like brain tumours, said neurosurgeon Prof Asif Bashir while holding an awareness lecture on World Brain Tumour Day here on Sunday.

‘Due to lack of awareness, the number of brain tumour patients is increasing in Pakistan. On the instructions of CM Maryam Nawaz, modern facilities for the treatment of this disease are available at the Punjab Institute of Neurosciences (PINS), Lahore,’ said Executive Director PINS Prof Asif Bashir.

He urged young doctors to focus on modern research in the field of neurosurgery. Young neurosurgeons and health professionals were also present on the occasion.

Prof Asif Bashir said that a highly skilled and experienced medical team is working at PINS, and modern equipment such as neuronavigation system and high magnification exoscop, successful operations of complex brain tumours are being made possible. He appealed to the Punjab government to provide Gamma Knife technology to further benefit the patients. He said, “This is a non-surgical treatment method that can prove to be very useful for brain tumor patients. If this facility is provided, it will be a revolutionary step for the patients.”

He highlighted, “According to the World Health Organization, brain tumor is a disease seen in all societies today, whose total number of patients is estimated at 15 million, globally, the number of women suffering from this disease is more than men.

Early diagnosis of brain tumor is very important, once diagnosed, there should be no delay in starting immediate treatment of the patient.” Prof Asif said that on the direction of the CM, modern facilities for the treatment of this disease are available in PINS.

Due to the provision of excellent medical facilities, patients come from all over the country, which is a clear proof of the success of this institution, he said and urged, “The diagnosis of this disease in new patients is made through MRI and CT scan. There can be many reasons for the formation of tumors in the human brain, but it is a given that these reasons also include mental stress.”

He said that there are 120 types of this disease, but two types, benign and malignant, spread rapidly and are relatively more dangerous. Brain tumors can attack at any age, but are usually found in people over 35 years of age. He said, “The symptoms of the disease include persistent headaches, nausea, changes in voice, vision, hearing, tingling in the arm or leg, and muscle twitching. One-third of brain tumor patients die after fighting the disease for 5 years.”