Oncology institute director: Optimal treatment to all types of cancer available in Hungary

In Hungary, patients have access to optimal treatment for all types of cancer, Professor Miklós Kasler, director of the National Oncology Institute, said on Tuesday.

Addressing a press conference on the national day for the fight against cancer, Kasler noted that until 1974, the number of new cancer cases and deaths in Hungary was at level with those in western Europe. Both numbers skyrocketed in Hungary between 1974 and 1992, a period when western Europe saw the number of new cases rise without the number of deaths following, he said.

The number of cancer deaths peaked in 1999 in Hungary, Kasler said, with around 34,000 victims. Since then, the number of new cases rose but that of deaths plateaued, then declined for the past 8-10 years, he said. The latter is due to new therapeutic approaches and methods as well as to renewed equipment, he said.

The recovery ratio of testicular, breast and lymphoid cancer has improved greatly over the past 10-15 years, he said.

The number of CT and MR machines outside of Budapest doubled in the past four years, and the radiotherapeutic equipment has been revamped, he said.

The national day for the fight against cancer was first held in Hungary in 1993.

Source: MTI