Share:
Significant increase in cancer in Germany Doctors explain why this is so
The Robert Koch Institute reports: Cancer cases are becoming more common in Germany. One reason is the increasing age. Many people today develop cancer at an age that they would not have achieved a few generations ago.
Strong increase in ten years
Between 2004 and 2014, the number of men newly diagnosed with cancer increased by six percent, that of women by nine percent. As reported by the report of the Robert Koch Institute "Cancer in Germany".
The cancer rate is rising. Smoking is still a major cause. Image: Bits and Splits - fotolia Age or more sick?
The increase, however, is less dramatic than it looks at first glance: According to the Institute, a major reason for the increase in cancer cases is the rising age.
Cancer in old age
Many types of cancer develop mainly in old people. Between 1949/1951 and 2013/2015, average life expectancy at birth for men increased by 13.7 years and for women by 14.6 years: in 2013/15, the average life expectancy for the birth of women in Germany was 83.1 years. On average, there are about 14 years in which a cancer can develop.
smoking cancer
About 16% of all cancers are the result of smoking. Around 30% of adult men in Germany and around 20% of women smoke, in other words 25% of adults - about 29% before the turn of the century.
Age risk - even with lung cancer
Age and gender play a significant role in the onset of lung cancer. The morbidity rate increases with age and is highest between the ages of 60 and 70 years. Only one in every 20 people affected is younger than 40 years.
Why is lung cancer common in old age?
One reason for lung cancer in old age is the amount of cigarettes smoked. The risk of developing lung cancer in women and men increases with the number of toxins that are accumulated by smoking in the body - the longer someone smokes a constant number of cigarettes, the higher the risk of getting sick.
Smoking less cigarettes
According to the Federal Statistical Office, the number of cigarettes sold halved from 401 million in 1991 to 206 million in 2016.
Almost half a million neurological diseases
In 2014, approximately 476,000 people in Germany became ill with cancer, including 249,000 men and 227,000 women. However, these are estimates.
Chest and intestine most commonly affected
Most common are mammary gland tumors in women, prostate cancer in men, colon cancer and lung carcinoma in both.
Constant cause of death
Cancer has been consistently responsible for approximately 22% of deaths among women and 28% of men since the 1990s.
Increase in cancer rate expected
The Robert Koch Institute expects a further increase in cancer rates of at least 20% by 2030.
In old age, gender differences disappear
Young women are more likely to develop cancer than young men. Men over the age of 65, however, suffer twice as often as women. Source: dpa / AZ (Dr. Utz Anhalt)