ZAGREB, 5 Feb  (Hina) - In Croatia, there are 187,000 people with cancer diagnosed at some point in their lives, and five-year survival has increased from 54 to 59% in the most recent period, according to the latest data from the Croatian National Cancer Registry, presented to mark World Cancer Day.

Health Minister Irena Hrstić assessed that the figure of 59% five-year survival clearly demonstrates progress in cancer treatment.

She emphasised that over the past ten years funding for particularly expensive medicines has increased several-fold, and that advances in radiotherapy as well as minimally invasive therapeutic procedures have significantly contributed to improved treatment outcomes.

"Cancer has today, to a large extent, become a chronic disease, and the focus of future activities will be the patient pathway -- from prevention and early diagnosis to living with the disease," the Minister stressed.

According to Registry data, 26,736 new cancer cases were recorded in 2023, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer, while 13,434 people died from malignant diseases in 2024.

1 in 4 deaths in Croatia caused by cancer; lung cancer leading cause of cancer-related death

Cancer accounts for 26% of all deaths in Croatia, with this share amounting to 30% among men and 22% among women, it was noted.

The head of the Croatian National Cancer Registry at the Croatian Institute of Public Health, Mario Šekerija, said that Croatia has one of the oldest cancer registries in Europe, and that cancer epidemiology monitors four key indicators - incidence, mortality, prevalence and survival.

"The aim of all our activities is to reduce cancer mortality," Šekerija said, adding that around 5% of the total population in Croatia is living with a cancer diagnosis.

He noted that lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related death among both men and women in Croatia, but that a decline in mortality has been recorded, particularly among men, along with an increase in five-year survival for almost all types of cancer.