Healthcare: Over 100,000 Romanians are diagnosed with cancer annually

 Over 100,000 Romanians are diagnosed with cancer annually, with the total number of cancer patients in the doctors' records between January and September 2024, standing at 564,764, up 2% y-o-y, the Federation of Romania's Cancer Patients' Associations (FABC) said on last Tuesday.On World Cancer Day, which is marked annually on February 4, FABC organised an event to highlight the urgent need for health education and launched a public call for the establishment of a national working group for the development and implementation of a national health literacy plan.According to FABC, the most common types of cancer among men in Romania are prostate cancer (18.2%), lung cancer (14.8%) and colorectal cancer (14.1%), while breast cancer (26.8%), colorectal cancer (11.6%) and cervical cancer (7.1%) predominate among women in Romania.Cancer is also one of the main causes of mortality in Romania, with 56,216 deaths recorded in 2023. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimates that there are 18,700 premature deaths from cancer each year, which is one in five deaths nationwide. In fact, Romania has the highest mortality from breast and cervical cancer in Europe, FABC said.According to the organisation, in order to respond to these challenges, Romania must increase access to prevention, screening, diagnosis and appropriate treatments for cancer, essential conditions to improve the lives of people with this condition and the main health indicators. Ironing out socioeconomic inequities would also reduce premature cancer mortality, FABC said.According to OECD, by implementing consistent measures, one in three premature deaths from cancer could be prevented, and the average life expectancy of the population would increase by eight months."Despite medical advances in the field of oncology, the lack of a national health education plan remains a major challenge," according to PABC.