Brussels: Almost 5 million cancer patients were discharged from hospitals across the European Union in 2023, highlighting the growing pressure on health systems due to the rising number of cancer diagnoses and hospitalisations.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the picture recorded for Cyprus places the country around the middle of the ranking of EU member states for which discharge data are available.
In particular, in 2023 a total of 4.9 million in-patients diagnosed with cancer were discharged from hospitals in the EU. The most common type of cancer among hospitalised patients was colorectal cancer, with 554,112 discharges, accounting for 11.2% of all cancer in-patient discharges. This was followed by lung cancer, with 506,372 discharges at 10.3%, and breast cancer, with 480,922 discharges at 9.7%.
In 18 EU member states, colorectal cancer was the leading diagnosis among cancer patients discharged from hospital. The highest discharge rates for colorectal cancer were recorded in Croatia, with 360 patients per 100,000 inhabitants, Latvia with 243 and Austria with 239 per 100,000 inhabitants. By contrast, the lowest rates were reported in Malta, with 31 patients per 100,000 inhabitants, Luxembourg with 56 and Ireland with 58, while Cyprus is positioned roughly in the middle, with 109 patients per 100,000 inhabitants.
The data illustrate the heavy burden that cancer continues to place on health systems across the European Union, as well as the significant differences observed between member states in hospitalisation levels for specific types of cancer.