The Ministry of Health aspires to make Cyprus the first European country to have an organized national population program for colon and rectal cancer.
Welcoming the press conference for the European Colon and Rectal Cancer Awareness Month, read on his behalf by Myrto Azina, 1st Class Medical Officer, the Minister of Health, George Pamporidis, said that Larnaca was chosen as his starting province. program.
He added that the population plan for colon cancer, based on scientific data, is expected to reduce mortality by 40%.
In Cyprus, he said, today we have about 365 colon cancers every year.
"Because this type of cancer is caused by other benign conditions, polyps, which take a long time to develop into cancer, if detected and removed in time, a complete cure can be achieved," he said.
He explained that the program is very simple, saying that "a simple test of invisible blood in the stool can save your life."
He noted that this program is also a model example of State-Private Cooperation, because the state buys services from private gastroenterologists and colonoscopy is done in the private sector, so that strictly follow the EU instructions and there is no delay and waiting lists.
The Minister stated that the first results from his evaluation have already proved both his scientific and practical value and said that after his successful presentation by officials of the Ministry of Health in the EU, Italian scientists who ranked him in the most well-designed programs visited Cyprus to monitor its implementation.
To date, the Minister said, 4 municipalities and 11 communities have been covered and 2639 samples have been examined. Of these were positive, ie there was blood in the stool, in 207.
At the colonoscopy that followed, 133 had a precancerous condition - a polyp that was removed on the spot. Three cancers were also diagnosed. "In other words, 136 lives were saved from cancer," he said.
The Minister finally thanked PASYKAF for its support and work in informing about colon cancer.
Source: SigmaLive