site.btaBulgarian Breast Cancer Patients Have Shorter Lifespans Compared to EU Average, Screening Is Lacking

Bulgarian breast cancer patients have shorter lifespans compared to those in the EU, and screening is still lacking, Bulgarian Specialized Hospital for Active Treatment in Oncology's Radiotherapy Clinic head Iglika Mihaylova said during the National Breast Surgery Conference with international participation.

Population screening for breast cancer is not performed in Greece and Slovakia, but Slovakia is conducting a pilot study, she said. When comparing the five-year survival rates in Bulgaria and Europe among patients affected by prostate cancer, childhood tumours, breast cancer and cervical cancer, there is a worrying trend of lower five-year survival rates in Bulgaria, the doctor said, adding that the reasons are late diagnosis, lifestyle and lack of screening. According to her, it is necessary to prioritize the establishment of screening in Bulgaria, the implementation of new European guidelines for diagnosis, as well as a new quality of life scheme.

The ageing of the population will have an increasing impact, with the death rate from breast cancer expected to rise by 6% in Bulgaria, added Prof. Mihaylova.  In 15 years' time, the death rate among men affected by bladder cancer will increase by 28%, while the death rate among those affected by prostate cancer will increase by more than 40%. The incidence of breast cancer is expected to increase by 21% among men and by 10% among women, with a corresponding increase in deaths. Breast cancer is the leading cause of death among women, Prof. Mihaylova said.

In Europe, 374,800 new cases of breast cancer among women and 4,400 among men are registered each year, with more than 95,000 deaths, she added. The risk of developing breast cancer among women in the 0-74 age group is one in 11 in Europe and one in 10 in Bulgaria, while among men the risk is one in 909.

In November 2023, the National Cancer Registry in Bulgaria ceased its activities, recalled prof. Mihaylova. The lack of an active cancer registry currently makes it impossible to assess the actual number of patients, as well as their survival. From 1993 to 2015, a comparison of registry data shows that new cases of cancer in Bulgaria increased by 1.5 times. The average age of those who died of cancer was 60 years and one in five women who died of cancer had breast cancer. The most common localization of metastases, she said, was in the bone, lung or liver.

The aim of the conference was to achieve a unified approach in diagnosis and treatment, bringing the standards of diagnosis and treatment of the disease in line with global standards, said Prof. Svilen Maslyankov, oncologist-surgeon at Alexandrovska Hospital. The forum was held under the auspices of the Bulgarian Surgical Society.