Nani Saghrishvili, 65, has been diagnosed with breast cancer at an early stage thanks to the Zugdidi Screening Center created by Caritas Czech Republic. She has already beaten the disease. She says, “My doctor told me that from now on, I can say goodbye forever to cancer”
Nani Says Goodbye To Cancer Forever
Nani, 65, from Lanchkhuti in the Guria region, recalls the moment when she discovered a small lump on her breast accidentally while bathing. Initially, she didn’t pay much attention and went to the doctor only when her children asked her to.
“I had a phobia of cancer, the word ‘cancer” sounded horrible to me. I was calm because I didn’t expect to hear any bad news. When I was examined at the Zugdidi Screening Center by the doctors, they told me that I had a stage 2 tumor. This diagnosis was a bit frightening. The doctors were very kind and explained to me that I would have to undergo surgery and that it would have a positive outcome.”
Nani says it took four chemotherapy treatments to eradicate the cancer after the surgery.
“Thank goodness, the Zugdidi Screening Center provided the expensive medical examinations free of charge. Nani says that if it weren’t for the screening center, she wouldn’t have been able pay for services.
Why Early Diagnosis is Important
In its report, the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health states that in 2019, 10 339 cancer cases were reported in Georgia. Of these, 4578 (44.3%) were men and 5761 (55.7%) women. According to the localization rates, the breast cancer cases accounted for the largest number (1629).
It is well-known that detecting cancer (or abnormal cells that could become cancer) at an early stage can reduce the risk of death.
Georgia’s survival rates improved between 2015 and 2019 according to the Population Based Cancer Registry, which has been operating in the country for more than 10 years. This was largely due to the screening program that was introduced in the country over 10 years ago. The statistics are still far behind those of the United States and European countries.
In 2008, the state screening program for Georgia was launched. Breast, cervical, prostate or colorectal can be diagnosed free of charge. The state screening program in Georgia, which diagnoses breast, cervical, prostate or colorectal cancer for free, was launched in 2008.
In 2019, Caritas Czech Republic opened the Zugdidi Screening Center in partnership with Cancer Prevention Center. Since then, 4035 individuals have been screened to determine if they are at risk for breast, prostate, or colorectal and cervical cancer. The screening program helped hundreds of patients to learn about their diagnosis early and treat it on time.
Irina Pouchkhua is the Medical Director of the Zugdidi Screening Center. She explains that the population of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti, before the establishment of the local screening centre, was at risk of cancer. She pays particular attention to breast cancer prevention based on statistics and notes that 124 suspected breast cancer cases have been identified since the center was established.
“An active campaign of information is important as more people become aware of the screening program and visit our Zugdidi Screening Center”.
The role of health promotion activities
Caritas Czech Republic has been working for years on information campaigns about cancer prevention, early detection and access to the free program of screening. CCR community mobilizers meet with the local population in different municipalities in order to inform them on the importance and help organize transportation to the Zugdidi Screening Center.
Tamar Kurtanidze is the Project Manager at Caritas Czech Republic. She believes that the most effective way to increase the number of visitors to the center is through the information campaign. She explains, however, that a large portion of the population still isn’t aware of the importance to detect the disease at an earlier stage:
“There are several factors that contribute to the low number of people visiting the center. First, there is a low level awareness and stigma associated with cancer. Caritas works actively to overcome these barriers in the Samegrelo Region.” Unfortunately, the importance of preventive exams in Georgia is not well understood.
“The problem is complex and we are working to increase the participation of the population in screening programs to increase the percentage of disease diagnosis at an early stage. “We want to increase survival rates,” says Nana Mebonia. She is the head of the Chronic Diseases and Trauma division at the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health and professor at Tbilisi Medical University.
The project Establishment and Promotion of Cancer Screening Center, funded by the Czech Development Agency and implemented by Caritas Czech Republic in close collaboration with Cancer Prevention Center is being implemented by Caritas Czech Republic. The main accomplishment of this project is the fact that Zugdidi Screening Center now implements National Screening Programs via National Center for Disease Control and Public Health, i.e. It provides free screening services funded by Georgian government.
The center opened in November 2019. It aims to provide equal geographic and financial access to national cancer screening programs in Samegrelo Zemo Svaneti as well as the population of Abkhazia due to the close proximity of the border.
Darejan from Georgia: Early cancer detection saved my life
By Nina Kopaleishvili – PR and Communication Officer, CCRG [email protected]
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