In 2009 Armenia registered 7657 patients with cancer, which is by 321 more than in 2008.



“Three to four percent growth of the disease has been registered, and it’s not unique for Armenia only, the same four percent growth is registered everywhere in the world. Twelve million people around the world suffer from cancer, the annual mortality rate is seven million,” says doctor of medical science, professor Gagik Bazikyan, deputy director of RA National Center of Oncology.

Presenting the general picture he points out that lung cancer is the most common type (1269 cases), second comes breast cancer (1092 cases), and then the other kinds.

Cancer generating reasons are various.

“First of all, the society is growing old, secondly, use of hormone-containing medication and food, air pollution. Fifty percent is a result of unhealthy food and lifestyle, then stress, viral infections, and only in 10-12 percent of the cases it is inherited,” says Bazikyan.

Cancer does not have its own symptoms, it disguises under the symptoms of other ailments. If a person goes for a medical check-up early, yet in pre-cancerous and early stages, it is cured in 90 percent of cases.

Khachanush Hakobyan, head of Armenian-American Health Center, believes that the most important thing is the people’s awareness.

“I can tell based on the experience of our center that during the first years after its foundation very few women knew about mammography, whereas now, I am happy to say, that 30 percent of women come to our center for prophylactic check-ups, which allows to take preventive measures,” says Hakobyan.

Every year 7000 new cases are discovered in Armenia and 40-45 percent of patients turn to us when it’s too late.

“At first, patients turn to family doctors or general practitioners. How much they know about oncology, I can’t say. That’s the reason why 45 percent of patients come when the cancer is in stages III or VI, meaning that one out of two patients comes when it’s too late,” says Bazikyan.

The main two reasons for turning to doctor in late stages are patients’ indifference to their own health and insufficient attention on the part of general practitioners, explains Bazikyan.

At the National Center of Oncology (NCO), 90-98 percent patients with cancer in stage I are cured, that percent drops to 50-55 for stage II, and only 10-12 percent of cases of late cancer – stages III and VI – can be treated.

Bazikyan stresses that people shouldn’t be afraid of that disease. He believes that people’s understanding and their perception has to be raised to a level when they realize that cancer is merely a diagnosis not a death sentence.

Despite the oncologists’ statement that cancer treatment is free of charge in Armenia there are multiple examples of cases when doctors asked patients to pay for surgeries and treatment.

“One person’s treatment costs 30-40 thousand Euros in other countries, whereas our state allots only 105 000 drams (about $260), which includes salaries, utilities, etc,” complains Bazikyan.

Each set of tests costs around 53 thousand drams ($130) at the NCO. When cancer diagnosis is confirmed the treatment is covered by the state, however, all preliminary tests, as well as medication (in some cases), have to be paid for by patients.

“We are in no position to provide patients with 3-4,000 dollar medication,” says Bazikyan.