- Cancer diseases are the second most common cause of death in Slovakia.
- Approximately 13,000 people die of cancer annually.
- The main risk factors include smoking, alcohol, obesity and pollution.
Tumors are the second most common cause of death in Slovakia. About 13,000 people die from them every year. It is true that more than 30 percent of diseases can be influenced by prevention and screening. Jana Trautenberger Ricová, director of the National Cancer Institute (NOI), pointed this out to TASR in connection with World Cancer Day.
“Among the most common cancers are prostate cancer, colon and rectal cancer (colorectal cancer) and lung cancer in men, and breast cancer, colorectal cancer and uterine body cancer in women. In children, the most common oncological diseases are leukemia, malignant brain tumors and lymphomas,” explained Trautenberger Ricová.
She specified that, according to the statistics of the National Center for Health Information, almost 39,000 new cases were diagnosed in Slovakia in 2024, which is 44 percent more than in 2001. “Globally, approximately 20 million cancer cases are diagnosed annually. It is expected to increase to more than 32 million cases per year by 2045. Almost 10 million people die from cancer every year, and by 2045 we expect an increase to almost 17 million deaths per year“, said NOI consultant for epidemiology Ľudmila Kutáková.
She emphasized that 30 to 50 percent of cancers are preventable. According to her, the most important risk factors include tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity, lack of physical activity, exposure to viruses, but also environmental pollution. “Based on OECD data, 21 percent of the population over 15 years old in Slovakia smoke, and 19 percent of the Slovak population over 15 years old suffer from obesity,” she clarified. She reminded that in primary prevention, it is especially important to eliminate the action of risk factors.
Secondary prevention of cancer, i.e. screening, in Slovakia is provided by several screening programs for the population at common risk of the disease, which is coordinated by the NOI. Trautenberger Ricová reminded that it is currently screening for colon and rectal cancer for people aged 50 to 75, breast cancer screening for women aged 45 to 75 and cervical cancer screening for women aged 23 to 64. Lung cancer screening and prostate cancer screening are in the preparation stage.
