Bulgaria still has no breast cancer screening programme
More than 1.08 million women had check-ups in eight months, but some regions lack specialists. Doctors are calling for a national screening scheme.
Symbolic image · Photo: Adoscam / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, yet Bulgaria still has no early-detection programme, BNT reported. According to the National Health Insurance Fund, more than 1,080,000 women underwent the mandatory preventive check-up in the first eight months of the year, about 24,000 more than in the same period of 2025. Some regions, however, lack specialists: a breast specialist from Sofia travels to Vidin once a month and examines about 20 women.
The fund pays for different tests depending on age: a manual examination every year from 30, an ultrasound every two years between 30 and 50, and a mammogram between 45 and 69. Dr Vanya Mitova, head of breast surgery at Sofia's oncology hospital, said: "We have a crying need for a screening programme." When cancer is caught early, chemotherapy can often be avoided, said Dr Yoana Milusheva of the oncology clinic at Tsaritsa Yoanna – ISUL university hospital. According to Mitova, women who undergo breast-conserving surgery have a better quality of life and survive longer.