* 15,000 new cancer patients detected annually
* 25 pc women suffer from breast cancer
Around 15,000 new cancer patients are detected in Sri Lanka annually. Out of this, 1,000 women are found to be with cervical cancer of which 500 of them die. Around 25 percent of the total number of cancer patients detected annually suffer from breast cancer and 30 percent die due to late detection.
Early detection can save as much as 33 percent of patients suffering from breast cancer, a Health Ministry spokesman said.
According to the spokesman, Health Deputy Minister Lalitha Dissanayake held discussions with the GAVI organization to obtain their assistance to purchase two cervical cancer prevention vaccines, Gardasil and Cervarix. The majority of women who get cervical cancer are between the ages of 35 and 55. Cervical cancer can be detected through a pap smear test which should be done at least once in three years by all married women.
The pap smear test is available free of charge at all main state hospitals and `Suwanary Clinics’ setup countrywide, the spokesman said.
http://www.dailynews.lk/2011/
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