Russian doctors call for raising awareness of cancer prevention

MOSCOW, February 4 (Itar-Tass) - People are urged to consult a
physician about cancer risks to prevent the disease at an early stage.
Every year 460,000 new cancer cases are registered in Russia, of them
one third are diagnosed at a later stage. This statistics is cited by the
Russian Health and Social Development Ministry on the eve of the World
Cancer Day that is marked on Thursday.
Finding cancer early is the main task of the cancer prevention program
launched in the country in 2009. This year twenty-two regions joined the
project.
According to the Gersten Cancer Research Institute in Moscow, 290,000
Russian citizens die of cancer every year.
Late last year the Ministry adopted a special program of medical
assistance to cancer patients and launched a hotline to provide
psychological support for people affected by the disease and their
relatives.
The World Health Organization forecasts that there will be 15 million
cancer patients in the world by 2013.
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