A mission from the WHO Regional Office for Europe and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), focused on oncology services, was recently in the Republic of Moldova.

The regional office’s cancer control team leader, Marilys Corbex, technical officer Maria Lasierra-Losada, international cervical cancer expert Isabelle Heard and IARC cancer registry expert Anton Barchuk worked together with colleagues from the Oncological Institute on the areas under development: the national cancer control program (finalizing the current document and developing a new one), the breast cancer early detection program, cervical cancer screening and developing the national cancer registry.

Early detection of breast cancer and cervical cancer screening activities were discussed with specialists from the Institute of Mother and Child, the Republican Diagnostic Center, the Health Center of Ungheni Municipality and AMT Botanica. Representatives of the Ministry of Health participated in the mission visits, being informed about its conclusions and next steps.

The Republic of Moldova is part of the WHO Global Initiative to Reduce Breast Cancer. Currently, 63% of breast cancer cases are diagnosed in stages I–II. The implementation of the pilot project showed that in the first six months of 2024, the number of cases detected in early stages increased. This contributed to the orientation of patients to timely treatment.

Regarding cervical cancer, the mission discussed issues related to the organization of screening and women’s access to recommended investigations. Free cytological testing, offered within the national screening program for women aged 25 to 65, remains an important tool for identifying changes that require monitoring or further investigation.