Breast cancer is no longer an exclusively female disease: about 20 male patients are registered with the diagnosis in Almaty. Doctors at the city oncology center reported this, according to infohub.kz.
According to Akbota Adilova, head of a department at the Almaty Oncology Center, breast cancer knows no age or gender boundaries. Although the disease is commonly considered a women's illness, men are also at risk.
"Currently, about 20 male patients are registered with this diagnosis in Almaty," she said.
In the first eight months of this year, nearly 115,000 women in Almaty underwent preventive screening. Thanks to these examinations, the vast majority of cases were detected at early stages, when the chances of full recovery are highest.
Specialists emphasize that regular diagnostics is what helps spot the disease in time. Screenings also detect harmless growths: mammologists are currently monitoring more than 26,500 patients, most of whom have been diagnosed with mastopathy or benign tumors.
Since the beginning of the year, Almaty oncologists have diagnosed 659 new cases of breast cancer. As doctor Balziya Kalymbetova explained, the disease is most often detected in time. In 310 women, stage zero or one was found, and in another 312, stage two. In only 37 cases was the tumor discovered at late (third and fourth) stages.
Earlier, Kursiv wrote that a "green corridor" system has been introduced in the country. It allows patients with suspected cancer to undergo examinations out of turn.