Specialist: 5 years ago, stage 4 breast cancer was detected in Armenia in 30-35% of cases but now that threshold has dropped to 15%

All over the world, as well as in Armenia, breast cancer takes the first place among women; we have 1,000-1,400 new cases diagnosed annually. Haykuhi Gyokchyan, consultant on oncology of the Ministry of Health of Armenia, told this to a press conference Friday.

"Due to awareness and screening, early detection has increased considerably [in Armenia] in recent years. If five years ago we detected the fourth stage of breast cancer in 30-35 percent of cases, now that threshold has dropped to 15 percent," Gyokchyan said.

Also, she listed several programs that contribute to that reduction.

"It's the free surgeries since 2019 in hospitals with oncology licenses all over Armenia; it's the Trastuzumab drug program, which is considered an expensive drug for women with breast cancer. Also, the women receive 17 injections of that medicine for free within a year within the framework of the state funding. A vial of that drug costs about a thousand [US] dollars. Five years ago it was 1,500-2,000 dollars, and only one out of 15-20 women [in Armenia] could buy it and receive treatment. From March 2020 until now, 937 women [in the country] have received this medicine for free," said the doctor.

Gyokchyan added that after taking this medicine, a woman is considered healthy, she fully returns to society, and the cancer does not go from the 2nd stage to the 3rd or 4th stage.

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