exchange of best practices in the field of oncology

Cancer is one of the world’s leading causes of death, killing nearly 10 million people in 2020, or nearly one in six deaths. In Kazakhstan, the most common types of cancer are breast, lung, stomach and cervical cancer. About 30% of cancer cases in low- and lower-middle-income countries are caused by cancer-causing infections such as human papillomavirus (HPV) and hepatitis.

As of the end of 2023, 218,213 cancer patients are undergoing dynamic observation in Kazakhstan (2022 – 205,822 patients), an increase of 5.7%. Women get sick from cancer more often than men, which is explained by the structure of the incidence of malignant neoplasms (MN). However, over the past year, more men (52.9%, 6,841 cases) died from cancer than women (47.1%, 6,079 cases). In 2023, 41,515 new cases were identified.

On June 11, a round table on the provision of cancer care in Sweden and Kazakhstan was held in Astana. Kazakh oncologists from KazNIIOiR and Swedish oncologists exchanged experience on the treatment of cancer. During the discussion, they addressed the topic of exploring collaborative models that can improve treatment outcomes and early diagnosis, as well as provide access to new treatments and best clinical practices.

Note that early diagnosis of early (0-I stages) cancers in 2023 increased by 5.2% and amounted to 30.5% in the total structure of new cases of cancer.

“We plan to modernize cervical cancer screening. Previously, a Pap test (smear for oncocytology) was used to screen for cervical cancer, but now HPV testing of women is used all over the world every 5 years. If HPV is detected, the patient goes to a further level of examination. Also, due to the fact that lung cancer is a leader in morbidity and in first place in mortality, we plan to introduce new screening for lung cancer – low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) of the lungs, which is approved by WHO. On LDCT, the radiation dose is low, it allows you to detect any tumor at a very early stage. Previously, we conducted pilot projects in East Kazakhstan, North Kazakhstan, Pavlodar regions and Almaty, and they showed high detection rates,” said Dilyara Kaidarova, chief freelance oncologist of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Maria Shipuleva, Director of AstraZeneca in Kazakhstan, spoke about what prospects Kazakhstan sees in cooperation with Sweden on the issue of timely cancer treatment.

“From the perspective of interaction here, it is very important to understand that each country has something to share. If we talk about Sweden, the country, on the one hand, does not have a large population, that is, there are 10 million people there, but it has a large territory. Accordingly, they rely heavily on telemedicine to cover their patients. The situation in Kazakhstan is similar in this sense, because it is also a large territory, and there is not much population for such a large territory and telemedicine solutions can help a lot. If we talk about oncological diseases, this is, of course, the experience that we have seen in projects for screening various oncological diseases. In Sweden and in the European Union in general, these initiatives have existed for a long time, some started in the late 70s, some initiatives in the 90s. In Kazakhstan, these initiatives are relatively new, so we can learn here from the stages these countries have already gone through in implementing improvements to such screening initiatives. This is screening for lung cancer, ovarian cancer, and breast cancer, which greatly influence mortality. The most important thing we can borrow from the Swedes is screening programs. We see how this is developing in Kazakhstan. We have five new oncology centers that will be opened in the near future as part of the oncology program. And here it is very important to implement this in order to improve the regional provision of diagnostics. Still, the increase in mortality was recorded more in the regions, these are: Mangistau region, Kyzylorda region, Abay region, Aktobe region, and Shymkent,” said Maria Shipuleva.

In addition, she noted the importance of creating a drug that will eliminate cancer as a cause of death and give patients the opportunity to live a quality life.

“We, as a company producing innovative oncology drugs, have already been investing in diagnostic projects in Kazakhstan since 2021 and, of course, it is in our interests to develop the quality of provision and treatment for cancer patients, because we have initiatives that we have been conducting for 3 years , but I would also like to see further government support for the internalization of such initiatives in the future into the healthcare system. The sooner we catch these patients, the sooner they are diagnosed, the longer they will live and the better they can be treated,” concluded the director of AstraZeneca in Kazakhstan.

Let us recall that in February 2023, Kazakhstan and Sweden signed a memorandum on long-term cooperation in the field of pharmaceuticals and healthcare. This document became the basis for fruitful interaction between countries. To continue the intercountry dialogue on public health issues, the Swedish Health Alliance in Eurasia launched its work today.