87% of Maltese women treated for breast cancer survive the disease

Malta has the best results for breast cancer treatment in Europe in that 87% of Maltese women who are treated for breast cancer survive the disease—after operations and treatment, 87% of breast cancer patients are cleared safe from the disease after five years.

Health Minister Chris Fearne said that such a result is one that gives a strong message of hope to all Maltese patients. In a press statement, Fearne said that this result shows a massive leap in the quality of care afforded to Maltese patients.

"Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in our country and we deal with at least one new case per day. The age bracket that is most susceptible is between 50 and 69 years. With the scope of prevention, we are extending our national program of breast screening. We've been inviting women for a mammogram every two years instead of three. This program started back in 2009 and we've performed 80,000 mammograms since then," Fearne said.

He added that the government continues to invest in technology to fight the disease, including new medicine with the aim of curing cancer. The expenses of cancer-fighting medication on the government formulary go up to a total of €4.5 million.

Fearne thanked all the members of the health sector who work in this department and appealed to all women to heed the call, welcoming them to a screening.

"It's proven that when the cancer is spotted early on, the possibility of a cure is much more common," Fearne said.