Cyprus ranks near the bottom in breast cancer screening across the EU, with just 29.8 per cent of women aged 50-69 screened, Eurostat data for 2023 reveals. This places Cyprus second from last, sharply trailing the EU average of 65 per cent.

Released during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Eurostat’s latest figures highlight stark disparities in cancer screening programmes among EU states.

Leading countries like Denmark (83.3 per cent), Sweden (83.0 per cent), and Finland (81.5 per cent) far outpace Cyprus and Greece, which lags at just 14.5 per cent.

These gaps are attributed primarily to low public awareness, limited access to specialised care, and weaknesses in national prevention efforts.

Cyprus also lags in cervical cancer screening, with only 48 per cent screened compared to the 55 per cent EU average for women aged 20-64.

The countries with the highest participation rates in this screening are Denmark and Slovenia, both exceeding 65 per cent, while Poland and Slovakia do not exceed 40 per cent.

For colorectal cancer screenings, Cyprus shows some progress compared to previous years at around 40 per cent, slightly below the 45 per cent EU average, with Finland and Ireland topping over 60 per cent.

Health ministry spokesperson Demetris Constantinou clarified that the Eurostat figure refers solely to mammograms conducted through the ministry’s population screening programme.

“There is no data available for the opportunistic screening rate, i.e. for women who choose to have a mammogram outside the programme, paying for it themselves to a radiologist of their choice,” he said.

Constantinou added that monitoring the Cyprus cancer registry’s breast cancer data shows cases are being detected at an early stage.

“This suggests that the overall rate of mammograms in Cyprus is higher than that presented, as the available data does not include screening performed outside the programme,” he added.

He further clarified that that “the EU recommendations now concern the ages of 45-74, which have already been adopted and are also implemented in Cyprus.”