Main tasks of country's oncological service were announced at 9th Congress of Russian Oncologists in Ufa

UFA, 15 June 2017. /Bashinform News Agency, Gulfiya Akulova/. Annually, about 500 thousand new cancer patients are registered in Russia, and in almost half of the patients the disease is detected at the advanced 3 or 4 stages. Every year about 300 thousand people die from cancer in our country. The first place among pathologies in women is breast cancer, in men - cancer of the lungs, bronchi and trachea. Every year oncological diseases are diagnosed in 3500 children. Moreover, as noted at the 9th Congress of Russian Oncologists in Ufa by the chief visiting oncologist of the Ministry of Health of the country, the director of the N.N. Blokhin Russian Cancer Research Centre, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Mikhail Davydov, in comparison with developed countries, the incidence of oncology in Russia was lower, and the mortality rate was twice as high. This is due to the diagnosis in the late stages of the disease. Another most acute problem in the Russian oncology is lack of funding. Thus, for example, the leading N.N. Blokhin Russian Cancer Research Centre is funded by the state only by one third of its real needs, and the budget of the National Cancer Centre (NCI) USA is 17 billion dollars, while it is designed for 400 beds, and the Russian centre - for 1500 beds. In addition, due to a funding gap, about two-thirds of patients in Russia do not receive adequate chemotherapy, and three-fourths do not receive adequate radiation treatment.

The Russian oncology is experiencing a huge deficit of modern antitumor drugs, as well as a serious shortage of qualified personnel, especially in the regions.

"Today Russia is facing a task of creating a vertical structure for managing the cancer care system with constant monitoring of its condition", Mikhail Davydov emphasized. "A four-level system is envisaged, where the main efforts will be delegated to regional and federal institutions and dispensaries located in these regions".

In spring this year, Russian oncologists proposed a strategy for combating cancer for 2018-2030. The document will be presented at the current congress in Ufa. Its goal is to develop and implement a set of public policy measures that should lead to reduction in death rate of working age people from cancer, as well as reduction in level of disability in cancer diseases.