Breast cancer accounted for 19% of cancer cases in Russian women in 2025
In short
Breast cancer made up 19% of all malignant tumour cases among Russian women in 2025, according to the newspaper Vedomosti, cited by both TASS and Kommersant. Kommersant reported that more than 3,700 patients were diagnosed at stage zero, and that the share of cases found at stage I rose by 12 percentage points from 2015 to 36%. An oncologist quoted by Kommersant said the rising number of detected cases does not necessarily mean the situation is worsening, as screening and awareness efforts bring more women into testing.
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Breast cancer accounted for 19% of all malignant neoplasms detected in Russian women in 2025, according to the newspaper Vedomosti, whose findings were reported by both TASS and Kommersant. TASS carried the figure in a headline attributing it to Vedomosti; Kommersant gave the fuller account, citing Vedomosti and the collection “Состояние онкологической помощи населению России” for last year. [ 1 , 2 ]
Kommersant reported that breast cancer at stage zero was detected in more than 3,700 patients, and that the share of patients found at stage I increased by 12 percentage points compared with 2015, reaching 36%. Sergei Prokopenko, head of the diagnostics and radiology division in mammalogy at the National Centre for Oncology of Reproductive Organs at the Herzen MNIOI, was cited as the source of the 19% figure. [ 2 ]
Sergei Malygin, a member of the Russian Society of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons, said overall breast cancer incidence in Russia and worldwide is rising steadily, while the detection rate at stages III–IV fell by 23% over ten years and stood at slightly more than 23% in 2025. Azizzhon Zikiryakhodzhayev, head of the oncology department at the Herzen MNIOI, said a growing number of detected breast cancer cases does not necessarily mean the situation is worsening, since better detection and the involvement of more women in examination programmes affect the trend; statistics can therefore rise at the same time as the disease is found earlier. [ 2 ]
Kommersant reported that access to diagnostics widened through a screening programme whose development in Russia began in 2006, aimed at providing primary diagnosis for women regardless of age at outpatient and polyclinic institutions. Information campaigns and educational work by doctors were an additional factor, raising awareness of breast cancer and of the importance of early diagnosis, the newspaper said. [ 2 ]
Why it matters
The figures come from an official collection on the state of cancer care in Russia, so they shape how the country's screening programme is judged. The documents present earlier detection as the main explanation for the growing number of recorded cases, which puts the focus on how widely screening and awareness campaigns reach women.
Key facts
- Breast cancer accounted for 19% of all malignant neoplasms detected in Russian women in 2025, according to Vedomosti. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The collection “Состояние онкологической помощи населению России” recorded breast cancer at stage zero in more than 3,700 patients. [ 2 ]
- The share of patients whose breast cancer was detected at stage I rose by 12 percentage points compared with 2015, reaching 36%. [ 2 ]
- The detection rate at stages III–IV fell by 23% over ten years and stood at slightly more than 23% in 2025, according to Sergei Malygin of ROPREKh. [ 2 ]
- Azizzhon Zikiryakhodzhayev of the Herzen MNIOI said the growing number of detected cases is not necessarily a worsening of the situation, citing better detection and more women joining screening programmes. [ 2 ]
- A screening programme launched in Russia in 2006 aimed to provide primary diagnosis for women regardless of age at outpatient clinics, and information campaigns raised awareness of breast cancer, Kommersant reported. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- The absolute number of breast cancer cases among Russian women in 2025 and any year-on-year change in that number. Neither document gives a total case count or an incidence rate; only shares and detection-stage figures are reported.
- Whether breast cancer incidence is rising in Russia and worldwide, as stated by Sergei Malygin. The statement appears only in Kommersant's report and no figures behind it are given in the documents.
- The full content of the TASS item, which is available only as a headline. TASS is represented in the documents by its headline alone, so it is not known what additional detail, if any, it carried.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- TASS publishes a headline reporting that, according to Vedomosti, breast cancer makes up 19% of all cancer cases among Russian women. [ 1 ]
- Kommersant publishes a detailed report citing Vedomosti, the collection on the state of cancer care, and oncologists Sergei Prokopenko, Sergei Malygin and Azizzhon Zikiryakhodzhayev. [ 2 ]