Breast cancer screening covered by mandatory health insurance

24.10.2024, 10:23

The main way to combat breast cancer is early detection. Breast cancerdiagnostics are provided to citizens free of charge under mandatory healthinsurance.

A total of 22,294 services were provided to the population undermandatory health insurance in relation to the diagnostic examination of themammary gland during January-September 2024, based on various requests.

The main symptoms of the disease include the formation of a hard andrough mass in the breast or axilla, discharge from the nipple, inwarddeformation of the nipple, an increase or decrease in the size of the breast,temperature and redness, swelling, an orange peel appearance of the skin, etc.

There are many risk factors that can affect the development of breastcancer. For example, hereditary and age factors, hormonal changes, menstruationthat begins before the age of 12, late menopause (after the age of 55), the ageat which a woman gave birth to her first child and the number of pregnancies,not breastfeeding, smoking and tobacco use, alcohol consumption, beingoverweight or obese, low physical activity, etc.

Examinations covered by mandatory health insurance include mammography,which is considered the “gold standard” in the diagnosis of breast cancer,ultrasound examination (US), magnetic resonance tomography (MRT), ductography of the nipple, biopsy, and other laboratory tests.

Every woman should check her breasts through self-examination. Womenover the age of 20 are recommended to visually and manually examine themselvesin front of a mirror between the 5th and 10th days of each menstrual cycle, andwomen in the menopause and post-menopause period should do so on the same dayof each month. Every woman should pay attention to changes in her breasts and,if there are any changes, consult a doctor promptly to establish a diagnosis.In general, women over the age of 20 are advised to undergo a mammogram everytwo years by a qualified doctor, and women over the age of 40 are advised toundergo a mammogram once a year. The radiation received during a mammogram islower than that received during other radiological examinations. If a suspiciousnodule is detected, an accurate diagnosis is established through a biopsy.During a biopsy, a sample is taken from the breast tumor and examined under amicroscope. The result obtained is important for making an accurate diagnosis.

Citizens can benefit from the aforementioned examinations under theBenefit Package, based on medical indications and with the appointment of aqualified doctor. It should be noted that breast cancer diagnostics, which arecovered by mandatory health insurance, are carried out in state medicalfacilities under the supervision of TABIB and relevant scientific researchinstitutes under the supervision of the Ministry of Health.

For information, October is the month dedicated to combating breastcancer. One in every eight women in the world suffers from this disease.According to information from the State Statistical Committee for 2022, breastcancer ranks first among cancer types affecting women in Azerbaijan.