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HEALTH

Half of cancer cases in Germany are preventable, experts say

In the run-up to international World Cancer Day on Sunday, experts have said that about half of all cancer cases in Germany could be prevented by a healthier lifestyle.

Published: 2 February 2018 17:21 CET
Half of cancer cases in Germany are preventable, experts say
A doctor pointing to an image of a tumour in Rostock. Photo: DPA

Across the country, around 500,000 people are diagnosed with cancer each year. But experts say things like exercise could cut this figure in half.

“Movement can reduce one's cancer risk,” said chairman of German Cancer Aid, Gerd Nettekoven.

In light of World Cancer Day, celebrated annually on February 4th in order to raise awareness of the illness and encourage its prevention and treatment, here’s some more information regarding cancer in Germany.

How many cancer patients are there in Germany?

Currently about 3.5 to four million people in the Bundesrepublik have cancer or have survived cancer.

Though this number is predicted to rise to between five and six million over the next 20 years, said Volker Arndt from the German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ) in Heidelberg.

This increase is mainly due to the ageing of the baby boomer (people who were born between 1955 and 1969) generation, Arndt added.

What does this mean for cancer patients in terms of employment?

The DKFZ state that about 35 percent of all cancer patients in Germany are of working age (i.e. between 15 and 65 years old). “On average, 62 percent of those affected resume work after completing therapy,” said Arndt.

But this depends on their education and the type of occupation. Experts advise doctors to treat cured cancer patients with sensitivity rather than excessive caution, since it can’t be assumed that they’ve all been severely traumatized.

What are the survival rates for cancer patients in Germany?

Statistics show that survival rates for tumour patients have improved significantly over the past three decades. “Nowadays survival of 20 years or more is realistic for many tumour entities,” Arndt said, stressing the importance of the tumour being detected at an early stage.

“Cancer does not have to be a death sentence today,” he added.

In spite of more and more people surviving cancer worldwide since 2000, the chances still depend on the type of cancer.

In a study called Concord-3, published on Friday in the scientific journal ‘The Lancet,’ Germany placed in the top third of the ranking in terms of survival rates among people with cancer.

Chances of survival after cancer diagnosis have increased for patients in Germany among almost all types of cancer examined, according to the study, in which researchers analyzed a total of 71 countries.

The greatest opportunities to survive cancer worldwide are in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the Nordic countries of Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

HEALTH

Lengthy waiting times at Danish hospitals not going away yet: minister

Danish Minister for the Interior and Health Sophie Løhde has warned that, despite increasing activity at hospitals, it will be some time before current waiting lists are reduced.

Published: 10 May 2023 15:09 CEST
Lengthy waiting times at Danish hospitals not going away yet: minister

The message comes as Løhde was set to meet with officials from regional health authorities on Wednesday to discuss the progress of an acute plan for the Danish health system, launched at the end of last year in an effort to reduce a backlog of waiting times which built up during the coronavirus crisis.

An agreement with regional health authorities on an “acute” spending plan to address the most serious challenges faced by the health services agreed in February, providing 2 billion kroner by the end of 2024.

READ ALSO: What exactly is wrong with the Danish health system?

The national organisation for the health authorities, Danske Regioner, said to newspaper Jyllands-Posten earlier this week that progress on clearing the waiting lists was ahead of schedule.

Some 245,300 operations were completed in the first quarter of this year, 10 percent more than in the same period in 2022 and over the agreed number.

Løhde said that the figures show measures from the acute plan are “beginning to work”.

“It’s positive but even though it suggests that the trend is going the right way, we’re far from our goal and it’s important to keep it up so that we get there,” she said.

“I certainly won’t be satisfied until waiting times are brought down,” she said.

“As long as we are in the process of doing postponed operations, we will unfortunately continue to see a further increase [in waiting times],” Løhde said.

“That’s why it’s crucial that we retain a high activity this year and in 2024,” she added.

Although the government set aside 2 billion kroner in total for the plan, the regional authorities expect the portion of that to be spent in 2023 to run out by the end of the summer. They have therefore asked for some of the 2024 spending to be brought forward.

Løhde is so far reluctant to meet that request according to Jyllands-Posten.

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