Health Minister Dr. Fahrettin Koca shared the data on cancer screening applications in 2022 with the public on his official twitter account. Minister Koca announced that about 800 thousand of the screenings performed by the Cancer Early Diagnosis Screening and Training Center and family medicine clinics for 3 million individuals last year were breast cancer screenings, 1.2 million were colon cancer screenings, and 700 thousand were cervical cancer screenings. In the tweet he published, Minister Koca dropped the note “treatment of those diagnosed during screening has started”.
District-based mammography examinations are carried out
Bilim Sıhhat News Agency (BSHA) received information about cancer screening practices from İzmir Public Health Services Director, Specialist Physician Ali Emre Çetinkol. Cetinkol, Stating that three main screening programs are carried out by the Ministry of Health throughout the country, he said: “Cervical cancer, breast cancer and colon cancer screenings are carried out. Within the scope of the colon cancer screening program, implicit blood in the stool is checked once a year for men and women aged 50-70 years, and patients are recommended to undergo a colonoscopy every 10 years. Cervical cervical cancer A blood or smear sample is taken every five years from women between the ages of 30-65. Breast cancer screenings through our family physicians For women between the ages of 40-69, mammography is performed every two years. For mammography, there is a cancer appointment system that family physicians are connected to. Our citizens can get mammography screenings free of charge by making an appointment from mammography devices in their own districts.
HPV vaccines expected
It is expected that the HPV vaccines to be started against cervical cancer, which will be made through the foster family physicians in 2023, will be included in the vaccination calendar. Cervical cancer is the 4th most common type of cancer in women in Turkey. 1,500 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year in the country. Health Minister Dr. Fahrettin Koca said that in November, HPV vaccines will be covered by the state in Turkey, vaccinations will be started with a certain cluster, and the scope of application of the vaccine will be gradually expanded. Stating that they do not have any reservations about the application of the vaccine, Koca spoke as follows: “We are preparing a plan that takes into account age groups and civilized state compared to the planning we have made.” (BSHA – Science and Health News Agency)
