There is a need for a new paediatric oncology centre in Cyprus, Health Minister Popi Kanari said on Tuesday, during a press conference organised by the ELPIDA Foundation on recent developments in the treatment of cancer in children and adolescents.
She added that extensions and renovations are not enough, and there are thoughts in the pipeline that will be evaluated to see how they can move forward towards what she believes should be done.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Christina Giannaki, said for her part that if this new paediatric oncology is to be realised, scientists will have to be approached so that specialised treatments performed abroad can be offered in Cyprus.
The President of ELPIDA Foundation for Children with Cancer and Leukaemia and Professor of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Nicosia Loizos Loizou said that there are 42 new cancer cases in children and adolescents per year in Cyprus, which constitute 1.5% of all cancers and are slightly more common in boys than in girls, with a ratio of 1 to 2.
Dr Loizou said that in Cyprus the distribution per case is different from other countries and this is a subject of research for them as well, with acute leukaemia being the most common form.
Regarding survival, Dr. Loizou said that Cyprus' rates are good, adding that 4 in every 5 children survive. He added that acute lymphoblastic leukaemia cases have an 86% survival rate, lymphomas 95%, thyroid cancer and retinoblastoma 100%, neuroblastomas 60% and brain tumours 50%.
The presentation was followed by a short ceremony during which the net proceeds from the of the painting exhibition by the Minister of Finance Makis Keravnos were donated to children and adolescents with cancer or leukaemia, as decided by the Minister.
Keravnos said that he and Dr. Loizou have known each other for many years, adding that through the doctor he came close to the Makarios Hospital, the work of the doctors and the struggle of the young children and also experienced the agony of the parents.
Source: Cyprus News Agency