Dhaka, Feb. 4 -- The lack of awareness and delayed diagnosis are the biggest challenges for Bangladesh's fight against cancer, said Sakif Shamim, Managing Director of Labaid Cancer Hospital and Super Speciality Centre. According to him, many of the patients come to the hospital at a late stage of the disease because of misconceptions, poor screening practices and reliance on unqualified treatment.

In an exclusive interview with The Financial Express on the occasion of World Cancer Day, Sakif Shamim emphasised the need for early screening of cancer, which costs a fraction of the cost of treatment of the disease. He said multidisciplinary care, stronger infrastructure, a national cancer registry and wider insurance coverage are urgently ne...