For January-April, screenings for women's cancer increased up to 59 times

2024-07-31 13:25:00, Aktualitet CNA

For January-April, screenings for women's cancer increased up to 59 times

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In the first months of this year, there was a high increase in the number of cervical and breast cancer checks.

For the period January-April 2024, according to the data of the Monitoring report of the Ministry of Health, 15,010 cervical cancer screenings were performed. Compared to the same period of the previous year, the tests have increased about 59 times.

In the report, it is emphasized that the amount of screenings carried out of 15,010 women is even higher compared to the 11,000 predicted for the period. At a cost of 322 ALL/case.

During this period, there was also an increase in breast cancer checks. The number of women screened for breast cancer for January-April 2024 reached 3,000, with a cost of ALL 735/case. Compared to the same period in 2023, the number of controls has increased 1.5 times.

Controls for the cervix and breast in women aim to identify tumor diseases before the appearance of clinical symptoms. Pap tests (cervical cancer screening) are available both at health centers and state maternity hospitals.

Family doctors claim that the reason for increasing the controls has come due to the increase in the flow of women who want to perform Pap tests at health centers, routine tests that were neglected during the pandemic.

Elisabeta Musta, family doctor at the Kamza Health Center, explains that the increase in screenings at health centers has increased with the end of the Covid-19 pandemic.

"In the last 2-3 years, women have been able to perform a Pap test at home as well. At the health center near the family doctor, the tampon can be taken, and the sampling at home can be carried out by the women themselves. Then the analysis of the results is done by the PIH, after the sample is brought to us.

Because of Covid-19, routine testing was neglected by women. "With the end of the pandemic, there is an increase in routine pap tests, including vaccination against cervical cancer," she says.

Doctors underline that the increase in testing has a positive effect on the reduction of cases diagnosed with tumor diseases, as the test helps in the treatment and prevention of the disease, but also to detect it in an early stage when it is more curable.

As for patients treated with radiotherapy for January-April 2024, there are 10,133 patients, with a cost of ALL 100/patient according to the data of the Monitoring Report. Their number has increased by 22% compared to January-April 2023./Monitor