Sri Lanka, Oct. 29 -- The Women Parliamentarians' Caucus, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, will launch an islandwide programme on November 2 to promote the early detection of breast cancer and raise public awareness of the disease.

The decision was taken at a recent meeting of the Caucus chaired by its Chairperson, Minister Saroja Savithri Paulraj.

Ministry of Health officials briefed the meeting on the prevalence of breast cancer in Sri Lanka and the importance of early detection. Around 6,000 new cases are reported annually, while approximately 1,000 women die from the disease each year.

Although breast cancer can be successfully treated when detected early, fear, embarrassment and a lack of awareness often discourage w...