The Romanian Society of Preventive Medicine: A New Chance to Reduce Cervical and Breast Cancer Mortality
Bucharest, December 7, 2022: The official launch of the Romanian Society of Preventive Medicine (SRMP), a non-profit organization aimed at promoting preventive medicine in the context of oncological and chronic diseases, took place in Bucharest.
According to the National Institute of Statistics, chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, and metabolic disorders like type 2 diabetes and obesity are the leading causes of death and disability in Romania. However, 40% of cancer deaths are considered preventable.
Unfortunately, Romania ranks last in Europe in terms of preventable mortality.
According to the Health at a Glance 2018 report published by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the European Commission, which provides a comparative analysis of the health status of citizens and the performance of healthcare systems in the 28 EU member states, five EU candidate countries, and three EFTA (European Free Trade Association) countries, Romania ranks last in the implementation of breast and cervical cancer prevention actions.
For example, in the European Union, the percentage of women aged 20 to 69 who undergo annual cervical cancer screening has increased from 54% to 60% in the last decade, nearly doubling in France. However, only 25% of Romanian women undergo annual screening, while in Austria and Sweden, the proportion reaches 80%.
The situation is even worse for breast cancer, where Romania ranks last in terms of the percentage of women who have undergone screening for this type of neoplasm, through mammography for women aged 50 to 69.
In this unfavorable context that places us at the bottom of all preventable mortality rankings, the main cause being the lack of patient information and the absence of coherent and effective programs and strategies, the Romanian Society of Preventive Medicine was created.
The mission of SRMP is to improve the individual and public health of the population through the development and efficient dissemination of programs and informative campaigns about chronic and oncological diseases, the promotion of prevention and management strategies, the promotion and facilitation of interdisciplinary collaborations, education, and raising awareness among patient communities.
SRMP addresses both medical specialists, decision-makers, and patients.
During the event, invited specialists discussed the issues our country faces regarding chronic diseases, especially oncological ones, and provided practical solutions for informing and educating the population and specialists, aiming to improve the framework for implementing prevention projects.
"The development of modern medicine in terms of technical and informational possibilities, individual integration into a health monitoring program, screening, and prophylaxis, the development of the interdisciplinary collaboration concept in approaching various pathologies, and, in the case of genito-mammary cancers, the need to update the plan for detecting and monitoring preneoplastic conditions, high-risk populations, preclinical forms, as well as a transition to a higher level of therapeutic approach through the application of scientifically proven knowledge accumulated over the past years," stated Prof. Dr. Roxana Bohîl?ea, President of SRMP.
"At the same time, the development of Romanian society and medical education over the past 30 years will allow the medical system to shift from advanced disease care to primary and secondary prevention, in line with global efforts to improve the duration and quality of life for populations, thus significantly improving their health," added Dr. Bohîl?ea.
"The creation of SRMP is an opportunity for Romanian patients to benefit concretely from functional prevention and screening programs, thereby avoiding the need for extensive oncological surgeries with limited therapeutic benefit. In Romania, at the moment, clinical practice faces cases in advanced stages of the disease, with dramatically reduced chances of survival, even though most of them could be prevented or detected at early stages, potentially curable," said Prof. Dr. Nicolae Bacalba?a, Executive Secretary of SRMP, during the event."