Cyprus records 4,000 new cancer cases a year

Cyprus records around 4,000 new cancer cases per year, Health Minister Popi Kanari said on Saturday.

Kanari was speaking at the first Oncology Forum held at the Bank of Cyprus oncology centre, and said “if decisive action is not taken immediately, cancer cases are expected to increase by 24 per cent by 2035, making it the leading cause of death in the European Union.”

With the aim of ameliorating this potential future issue, Kanari said her ministry is “following the European strategic plan for cancer and taking the European Commission’s long-term recommendations seriously.”

She made reference to the breast screening programme for women, which has now been extended to cover women aged between 45 and 74, and the implementation of the programme for the detection of colon cancer in people aged between 50 and 74 years old.

She added, “the health ministry’s first concern is for cancer patients who are still fighting the disease with dignity, to feel that the state can guarantee them reliable, quality, and effective care.”