Very Surprising Statistics on Cancer, Environmentalist Says

Environmentalist Levon Galstyan wrote on his Facebook page: "Very surprising statistics on cancer. The 'Hetq' news outlet obtained data from the Kapan Medical Center through a query, covering recorded deaths due to neoplasms and cardiovascular diseases between 2014-2018 (in absolute and relative numbers), as well as the recorded new cases of neoplasms during this period.

According to the cancer statistics for 2018, they are indeed very surprising as they drastically differ from the figures of 2014-2017. For instance:

• While the absolute number of deaths from cancer from 2014 to 2017 ranged from 98 to 136, in 2018, it was only 58—meaning nearly half.
• The relative number of deaths from cancer ranged from 326 to 477 between 2014 and 2017, whereas in 2018 it was 210—an approximately 1.5 to 2.5 times decrease.
• Newly registered cancer cases from 2014 to 2017 were between 110 and 150, but in 2018, this number dropped to 70, showing a similar reduction of 1.5 to 2.5 times.

Of course, I would be very happy if these numbers had indeed decreased so sharply in 2018, but such a phenomenon is not possible in nature. It is evident that there is an error in the statistical methodology, and it needs to be revealed, as calculations made with incorrect methods lead to erroneous conclusions. Dear Ministry of Health of Armenia, Arsen Torosyan, it is necessary to clarify why these discrepancies exist with the numbers."