Ministry pushes for early detection of deadly cancers

Data from the Croatian Institute of Public Health show that colon cancer is detected at an early stage in only eleven percent of cases, so due to the late detection of the disease, the five-year survival rate is about 51 percent.

In 33 percent of people, the disease is discovered when it has already spread regionally, and in 13 percent of people, distant metastases were present at the time of diagnosis.

Every day, six people die from this malignant disease. At the same time, the turnout of Croatians for routine colorectal cancer screening, amounts to a low 25 percent.

About 3,600 people are diagnosed with this cancer annually, 60 percent of whom are men. The disease is more common in the elderly, however, almost a fifth of patients are under 60.

If colon cancer is detected in a localized stage when the disease has not spread, the five-year survival is about 90 percent.

After breast cancer and lung cancer, colon and rectal cancer is the most common type of cancer in the world. In terms of mortality from malignant diseases, colorectal cancer ranks second in Croatia, after lung cancer.

Croatia ranks 9th in the EU terms of incidence of colon cancer but ranks 2nd in terms of mortality.

The month of March is dedicated to raising awareness about colon cancer.