Over the past 10 years, the incidence of malignant tumors has increased by 18 percent. Up to 60 percent of cases could be prevented by prevention and early detection.

Cancer is one of the most important health problems of today's population. The numbers speak clearly: one person dies of cancer every 20 minutes in the Czech Republic, and up to 80,000 new cases appear annually. Over the past ten years, the incidence of malignant tumors has increased by 18 percent. At the same time, up to sixty percent of these cases could be prevented by prevention and early detection of the disease.

The biggest killers are lung, colon and rectal, pancreatic, breast and prostate cancer. The lifestyle of our population is to blame – smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, obesity, stress, but also worse air quality in some areas of the country. Prevention can definitely help, but at least a third of the population neglects it. "The Czech Republic has one of the richest offers of screenings paid for by health insurance in the world. Colon and rectal cancer would not have arisen at all in many patients if they had been screened in time. I myself underwent the screening and there is nothing to be afraid of, so I appeal to everyone who is entitled to a free examination not to underestimate this and undergo the screening." stated the Minister of Health Prof. Vlastimil Válek.

Cancer is a race against time
The worst results are for advanced tumors of the organs that could be solved in the early stages of the disease. These are mainly tumors of the pancreas, lung and brain tumors. Prevention and early detection of malignant disease applies to all types of disease. Tumors of the pancreas, of which 2 to 2 and a half thousand appear annually, are treacherous in that they do not show any symptoms for a very long time. Doctors often catch them only in very late stages and they can no longer be treated surgically. They are also common symptoms of a number of other diseases, such as weight loss, loss of appetite, fatigue or back pain, which plague most people and therefore do not add enough weight to them. However, pain radiating backwards in the upper abdomen towards the spine should be a warning. 80 percent of lung cancer patients are smokers. The long-term incidence trend is significantly different for men and women. While there is a slight decrease in men, there is a significant increase in women. 

Learn more at press release.