About 800 women from Orhei and Dubasari districts have been diagnosed with pre-cancerous conditions or with breast cancer after a screening conducted by the National Company of Medical Insurances (CNAM). The action was part of a project implemented in the two districts to detect the disease in its early stages and to reduce female mortality caused by breast cancer.

Ten thousand women aged between 50 and 69 were screened. The investigation found 763 with pre-cancerous conditions and 30 with 90% risk of breast cancer. 5774 were found to have benign mammary pathologies. The women were refered to the Oncological Institute for histological investigations and the confirmation of the diagnosis.

CNAM spokeswoman Silvia Munteanu told IPN that the two districts, Orhei and Dubasari, had been selected for the initial stage of the screening project because they had the highest breast cancer-caused death rate among women. The project will expand to other districts as well.

In Moldova, breast cancer kills 490 women every year.