With 3-4% Annual Growth, Cancer becomes New Challenge for Armenia

The number of people diagnosed with cancer is growing by 3-4% per year, said Deputy Director of the National Oncology Center Gagik Bazikyan at a press conference today.

According to Bazikyan, 7,657 people were diagnosed with cancer last year. The most frequent types of cancer in Armenia are cancers of the lung, breast, stomach, and large intestine. Fifty two per cent of those diagnosed with cancer are men and 48% are women. Most frequently men are diagnosed with lung cancer, while women, with breast cancer.

Each year, 80-100 children in Armenia are diagnosed with cancer.

“The life span of people has been prolonged; people now live to 70-75 years, and this disease usually emerges in old age. Among factors contributing to cancer are air pollution, stress and the use of hormonal preparations,” said Bazikyan.

According to the oncologist, 90% of cases could be prevented if diagnosed at the earliest stage and 55-60% if found during the second stage, while preventing cancer when detected at the 3rd or 4th stage is more complicated.

Bazikyan also mentioned that 15,707 people have been treated for cancer. These people have been already living for 5 or more years as they sought treatment at the early stage of the disease.