Experts on Friday stressed the need forásetting up new cancer hospitalsákeeping in view the growing incidences of the deadlyádisease as 1.7 million cases emerged in the country last year. A total of 90,000 women and 88,000 men were diagnosed with cancer in 2022á with most breast cancer in Pakistan, they informed. Over 35,00 patients visited Multan Institute of Nuclear Medicines & Radiotherapy (MINAR) out of whom 1,000 were breast cancer, Dr Qurat ul Ain stated, adding that the rest of the patientsáwere suffering from throat, liver, stomach, blood, intestine and food pipe cancers. She maintainedáthat the hospitals were working across the country under Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) which was established in 1956 and the first health facilityáwas set up in 1960 named Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre in Karachi. The oncologist noted that though several other cancer hospitals including Nishtar Cancer Centre, BINO and Victoria Hospitals Bahawalpur etc are there but there is a dire need of building new health facility for treating cancer. She informed that MINAR was extending Mammography, ultrasound, FNAC, Biopsy, MRI, Cardiac, Kidney, Bones, SPECT- Scans and other facilities to patients who are pouring in from South Punjab, KP and Balochistan. LINAC and Brachytherapy machines are also availableáwith the health facility for early diagnosisáof cancer including cervical cancer of women, Dr Qurat said.