The most common forms of malignant diseases in Kosovo are breast cancer in women and lung cancer in men. Whereas, after these dominate colon cancer and genital cancer in women. However, in recent years in Kosovo the number of cases of stomach cancer is increasing.

These types and other cancers cause the biggest problems and have the highest cost of treatment and cure. The director of the Oncology Clinic at UCCK, Ilir Kurtishi in an interview for KosovaPress, said that breast cancer in women is one of the most common forms of malignant disease in Kosovo, whereas, in men lung cancer predominates. "The most common forms of malignant diseases in Kosovo, as well as in other countries in the region, in Europe, are dominated by breast cancer in women. In men, it is the lungs cancer. Immediately after these two diseases, colon cancer and genital cancer in women dominate. In Kosovo, in recent years, we have an increase in the number of stomach cancer, pancreas in men and testicles. In women, cancers of other organs, and in addition to genitals, there is also skin cancer, which enter the group of diseases along with heart disease, which cause the biggest problems and have the highest cost of both medication and treatment. For this reason, great care must be taken, the manner of diagnosis and the time. This is because early diagnosis of these diseases means a better treatment or easier form of treatment and lower cost of their treatment", said Kurtishi. He also explained that these diseases are not created on the spot, he explained their development in pregnant women and how these women can cope with malignant diseases. "Realistically, since cancer is not created on the spot but has time to develop, it can be pregnancy, especially if it is associated with the genitals, ovaries or breast, from the stage of overproduction of hormones in mother during the pregnancy, the disease develops more. Hormones can be the ones that stand out, or make a more rapid burst when the mother is pregnant, and breast disease is occurs... In women who are pregnant and have cancer, there is wider monitoring, not only to the gynecologist but also if there are other accompanying diseases, whether to a cardiologist, surgeon or oncologist, but a special decision must be made, whether a woman should terminate the pregnancy, and this also depends on the age of the woman, the month of pregnancy, and see if she can complete this birth to then be taken on oncology medication. This is always done by taking a joint decision", said Kurtishi. When asked how many pregnant women have come to the oncology for the treatment of cancer, Kurtishi said that in the last 5 years there have been a total of 4-5 such cases, which have managed to successfully cure without harming the baby or without having to terminate the pregnancy. "In fact, we rarely have pregnant mothers with malignant diseases, because for the last 5 years, we have probably had 4-5 cases, and those women, two of them, have had breast cancer. We have recommended, in consultation with the gynecologist, that depending on the month of pregnancy that has been, either to continue the pregnancy for another month or two, if there is a possibility of giving birth, or to terminate the pregnancy, and then continue the treatment in oncology. Fortunately, I have had two cases, and in both cases the mothers have been in the last months of pregnancy, they have given birth, and 2-3 weeks after the birth we have continued the treatment in oncology, and those mothers are alive, they are well, and continue to raise their children", said Kurtishi. We recall that in Kosovo during 2020 were registered over 1,300 new cases of cancer, whereas, worldwide about 10 million people die from cancer within a year, making it the second most common cause of death worldwide. 70 percent of cancer deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.