1,000 new breast cancer diagnoses last year; patients say PET scans take four to five months
Clinic officials say new medicines and outreach are expanding treatment, while patients and Hema-Onko warn of long PET scan delays.
The Clinic for Radiotherapy and Oncology reported that 1,000 new cases of breast cancer were diagnosed last year, and some 7,000 patients are currently receiving active treatment at the clinic, representatives of the Hema-Onko association said at an event held at the clinic today.
Patients at the gathering complained about long waits for diagnostic PET scans, saying they face delays of four to five months before imaging is scheduled.
Clinic reports new therapies and local outreach
Clinic director Prof. Dr. Igor Stojkovski said new medicines for cancer — including treatments specifically for breast cancer — were introduced last year and that the number of patients receiving targeted therapies has increased.
“We have started to function partially, i.e., the dispersion to function partially as a consultative-specialist activity at the City General Hospital '8th September'. We continue further this year, we hope next year as well, that the oncologist from Skopje will go to the Clinical Hospital in Bitola. That is what we can do for the good of patients and to partially relieve the congestion at the Clinic. Sometimes therapy can be minimally delayed due to distribution deficiencies. Regarding the idea during the time of the previous minister of health for a three-year procurement for some therapies, [he] said that they are working on it and that most likely they will be able to do it in the next public procurement for 2027,” said Prof. Dr. Igor Stojkovski.
On questions about interruptions in delivery of medicines, which have worried patients after several past incidents, Stojkovski added that the clinic can notify the wholesaler and that distributors are aware of the consequences that delays have for patients.
Ana Marjanović of the Hema-Onko association said the group has insisted that treatment be guaranteed and administered on time and in conditions that patients deserve. She said the association has submitted several requests to the Ministry of Health and that a process has now begun to address access and capacity issues.
Photo: press material from the event
