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A total of 59,993 health examinations were carried out in Armenia by November 2019, of which 24,406 were breast cancer exams, Director of the Armenian American Wellness Center Khachanush Hakobyan told a news conference on Wednesday.

As a result of the examinations, 1,624 women were diagnosed with breast cancer, with early-stage breast cancer detected in 1,050 of the women, she said.

"Breast cancer mostly targets women, therefore they have to undergo an instrumental examination once a year, with mammography recommended for women over 50 and ultrasound scan for women aged 40-45 years," Hakobyan said.

According to the doctor, more women as well as men sought medical care at the Armenian American Wellness Center in 2019 against 2018.

She noted men have also been diagnosed with breast cancer in the wellness center. “We had 155 male visitors, 9 of whom were diagnosed with breast cancer. In total, we admitted 73 male patients suffering from breast cancer. Unfortunately, most of them have died because they failed to see a doctor in time,” she stressed.

The doctor also called attention to thyroid cancer diagnosis tests, stressing typically thyroid cancer doesn't cause any clear-cut signs or symptoms and is found during a breast examination.

Hakobyan stressed thyroid, breast and gynecological complex examinations are a must for patients, since they are directly related to one another.

She noted gynecological cancer is the second most common type of cancer among women after breast cancer.

“We performed 16,931 gynecological examinations, which found cervical cancer in 20 women and pre-cancerous condition in 68 women. 10 women were diagnosed with ovarian cancer and 6 women – with endometrial cancer,” Khachanush Hakobyan said.

The number of both men and women screened for cancer grew in 2019 compared to 2018, but the cancer incidence has declined, she said.

“9 men have been diagnosed with cancer this year against 12 such cases of the past year. 21,329 women underwent examinations in 2018, with cancer diagnosed in 1,575 women,” she concluded.