Only a third of women invited to a cervical cancer screening attend, but the rate is higher for breast screening - at 60 per cent, MEP Francis Zammit Dimech said.

The PN MEP said more investment in cancer screening and campaigns were needed to encourage people to attend screening programmes.

The government recently announced colorectal cancer screening, which was previously offered to patients aged 60 to 64, will now be offered to people aged 55 to 69.

Watch: Cancer survivor urges people to get tested

Welcoming the proposal, Dr Zammit Dimech, a member of the MEPs against Cancer Group, said the government should introduce population-based screening for prostate cancer.

Read: Maltese researchers develop less invasive and improved cancer screening

“We need to ensure that screening services are not only available but that their acceptance rates are also high. In this regard more awareness is necessary,” he said.

Malta sees 2,000 new cancer cases a year, while 900 people are killed by the disease annually.

He also recommended that data should be shared across multiple EU member states through cancer registers.

“This would permit professionals and policy makers to gain better understanding of trends and act accordingly,” he said.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.