Half a million cancers a year

Almost 500,000 cancer cases annually

21.02.2012

The number of cancer cases in Germany has been rising for years. Almost 500,000 new cases of cancer have been reported annually. One of the reasons is the population, which is aging significantly as a result of demographic change.

Every two years, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) determines the number of cancers in Germany. According to the RKI projections for 2012, around 490,000 new cancers are expected this year, compared to 470,000 in 2008, just 390,000 ten years earlier. An important role in the annually rising cancer plays, according to the experts, the aging of the population and demographic change.

Number of cancer cases increased significantly
Nearly half a million newly diagnosed cancer cases are diagnosed throughout Germany every year, with a continuous improvement in the survival rate in recent years. In 1980, more than two-thirds of patients died from their cancer, while less than half of those affected today do not survive the disease, reports the RKI. According to projections of the institute in 2012, there are approximately 1.4 million people in Germany who have been diagnosed with cancer in the past five years. The development shows a worrying trend. According to the RKI, the number of new cases increased from 390,000 in 1998 to 470,000 in 2008 and probably 490,000 in 2012.

Demographic change causes an increase in cancer
Experts cite the growing number of older people as a major reason for the rise in new cases of cancer. As the likelihood of cancer increases with age, the increasing average age brings an overall increased number of cancer diagnoses. The RKI also expects cancer diagnoses to increase as the first phase of the mammography screening program is likely to detect significantly more breast cancers than previously. Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in women, accounting for around one-third of all cancers, while men are more likely to suffer from prostate cancer (about 25% of male cancers)..

Exact count of cancers requires area-wide coverage
At the RKI, the numbers of cancers in the Center for Cancer Registry Data are determined from the reported data from the State Cancer Registry for the entire Federal territory. Based on these figures, the RKI and the Society of Epidemiological Cancer Registries in Germany (Gekid) jointly publish the report every two years „Cancer in Germany“. However, not all data are based on the data reported by the state cancer registries, but extrapolations are sometimes necessary, as a nationwide, complete transmission of cancer cases has not been guaranteed to date. Although the figures from 2008 are already based on the data of more than 50 million German citizens, not least because the data basis has improved continuously in recent years. However, according to information from the RKI, an exact count of the cancers is only possible if all federal states collect and transmit the data across the board. Until then, nationwide cancer-related diseases can still only be estimated in some areas. (Fp)

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