Over 1,300 new cancer cases diagnosed in N Kazakhstan region
A total of 1,338 people were newly diagnosed with cancer in North Kazakhstan region in the first eight months of the year, Qazinform News Agency reports.
According to Yerkanat Baitursyn, head of the outpatient department at the regional oncology center, 38% of cancer cases were detected at an early stage, 2.4 percentage points higher than last year, while 12% were diagnosed at an advanced stage.
Breast, colorectal, lung, and skin cancers are the most common types of cancer in the region.
“Screening is the primary way to detect cancer at an early stage. In the first eight months of the year, cervical cancer screening identified 147 precancerous conditions and three cases of cervical cancer. Two of the cases were detected at stage one and one at stage two,” Baitursyn said.
Breast cancer screening also detected 64 cases, with 42 diagnosed at stage one and 22 at stage two.
“Colorectal cancer screening returned 1,109 positive fecal occult blood tests, after which 586 patients underwent colonoscopy. The examinations identified precancerous conditions in 165 people and colorectal cancer in 26 patients, evenly split between stages one and two,” Baitursyn said.
Specialists emphasized that screening can help detect cancer before noticeable symptoms appear.
The oncology center plans to hold an open day on September 26 focusing on the prevention and early detection of cancers of the female reproductive system. Patients will be seen by gynecologic oncologists.
Earlier, it was reported that Kazakhstan and South Korea had agreed to cooperate on the localization and joint production of pharmaceuticals in Kazakhstan.