Warsaw: ‘Early detection remains a central pillar of Cyprus’ national strategy for tackling cancer,’ said the Minister of Health, Michalis Damianos, addressing the 1st European Summit on Cancer Prevention and Control, which is taking place in Warsaw. Cancer, he noted, continues to be a huge challenge for the health sector in Europe.
According to Cyprus News Agency, Damianos stressed that Cyprus addresses this great challenge with actions and programmes that have prevention and early detection of cancer as their common feature. ‘Among our top strategic priorities is the establishment of a National Cancer Institute, which will serve as a central coordinating body for oncology services, clinical guidelines and research. Our goal is to have it in place before the end of the year,’ said Damianos.
The Minister of Health made an extensive reference to the free population screening programmes of the Republic of Cyprus, which are at the forefront of the effort for the prevention and early treatment of cancer. ‘Breast cancer screening is provided through a free mammography programme for all women aged 45 to 74. Cervical cancer screening is also available every two years, using the Papanicolaou test for all women aged 18 to 65,’ he pointed out. ‘In addition, the HPV vaccination programme already covers all children aged 11 to 13, while by the end of 2025 we plan to introduce the HPV-DNA test for women aged 30 to 65,’ the Minister of Health said.
Damianos also noted that in early May the Ministry of Health implemented the national colorectal cancer screening programme, which covers all men and women aged 50 to 74. Furthermore, the Minister said, ‘we are in the process of developing our national prostate cancer screening programme for men aged 50 to 69.’
He also noted that Cyprus is expanding its digital infrastructure to strengthen patient screening and monitoring, actively participating in European Union (EU) Joint Actions. These actions, he stressed, are part of a broader national strategy, which is fully aligned with the EU’s Beating Cancer Plan. “We believe that strong regional cooperation combined with evidence-based national action is essential to reduce cancer incidence and mortality across Europe,” Damianos concluded.