Report: Breast cancer ‘most widely spread’ type of cancer in Palestine

The Ministry of Health said yesterday that breast cancer remains the most common and widely spread type of cancer in Palestine.

Marking Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the ministry said as many as 503 new cases of breast cancer were recorded in the occupied West Bank in 2017 and 327 new cases were recorded in the besieged Gaza Strip in 2016.

Some 3,854 women have undergone early examination for breast cancer in the ministry’s clinics so far this year, of whom 210 were referred for further examination.

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In 2017, the ministry provided breast cancer screening services to 9,721 women of whom 28.5 per cent – 2,772 women – were found to need further examination and suspected to have cancerous cells. During the same year, as many as 2,899 women underwent mammography services.

The ministry provides early screening services for breast cancer in all primary health care centres free of charge and without the need for health insurance.