More and more people survive cancer Here are the reasons

More and more cancer patients are surviving worldwide

Health experts say more and more people are getting cancer. In Germany alone, around half a million new cases are registered each year. The diagnosis of cancer is one of the most frightening for sufferers. However, patients today can hope for recovery more than before. However, the chances of survival differ enormously according to the type of cancer.

Survival has increased worldwide

More and more people are getting cancer. According to the World Cancer Report of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), there could be 20 million new cases of cancer annually worldwide by 2025. In Germany, the number of new diagnoses has almost doubled since 1970. However, since 2000, the chances of surviving a cancer have increased worldwide. This emerges from an international study, which has now been published in the journal "The Lancet".

The chances of survival of people with cancer have increased worldwide in recent years. However, there are some enormous regional differences. In addition, the survival rates depend heavily on the cancer. (Image: auremar / fotolia.com)

Survival rates vary greatly depending on the type of cancer

As shown in the CONCORD-3 study, the chances of survival in the 2000-2014 observation period have increased worldwide. Survival rates vary greatly depending on the type of cancer.

For the investigation, a research team led by Dr. Ing. Claudia Allemani from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (UK) compiled and evaluated data from 322 cancer registries from 71 countries and regions.

The study included 18 cancers that account for about three quarters of all cancers:

Esophagus, stomach, large intestine, rectum, liver, pancreas, lungs, breast (in females), cervix, ovary, prostate and melanoma of skin in adults as well as brain tumors, leukemias and lymphomas in adults and children.

The scientists classified the data in five-year periods and determined the average rate of those patients who were still alive five years after the cancer diagnosis.

"Continuously monitoring global trends in cancer survival is critical to assessing the effectiveness of health systems around the world and helping policymakers plan better cancer strategies," said Allemani, according to a report from ecancer.org..

Prevent illness

When it comes to cancer prevention measures, it is above all the fight against smoking. Another way to reduce your personal cancer risk is to limit your alcohol intake.

Because alcohol can trigger seven different variants of cancer, according to scientific findings.

Furthermore, it is recommended to pay attention to a healthy diet, to refrain from certain meat products such as cured sausages and to avoid overweight. The latter, according to a recent study, increases the risks of 11 cancer diseases.

Even a physically active life can prevent cancerous diseases.

The countries with the best chances

According to the latest study, in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the northern European countries of Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, there has been the greatest chance of surviving cancer in the world over the past 15 years.

As the authors of the study emphasized, Denmark achieved high rates of increase over the years studied and joined the other Scandinavian countries.

The rapid improvements were thus achieved through better investment, faster patient routes and public monitoring of hospital latency compliance.

How Germany stands in international comparison
By international standards, Germany is in the top third of the 71 states studied in most cancers.

The chances of recovery of the 18 examined cancers have improved in this country from 2000 to 2014, with one exception:

In acute lymphocytic leukemia, a blood cancer disorder in children, the rate of survivors fell from 94 to 91.1 percent, but remained at a high level, reports the news agency dpa.

According to the information, there was also slight progress in the treatment of pancreatic cancer in this country. The survival rate for this very aggressive cancer increased from eight to 10.7 percent.

Esophageal cancer (from 16.6 to 20.8 percent) and lung cancer (from 14.9 to 18.3 percent) are also progressing relatively well. But they still remain the deadliest cancers.

According to dpa, however, the numbers have a limited significance, as the cancer registries represent only 36.8 percent of German inhabitants. Among other things, the data from the most densely populated federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg are missing.

Krebs kills 100,000 children every year

The study authors particularly emphasize the danger of pancreatic carcinoma (pancreatic cancer). The 5-year survival rate remained below 15 percent in all countries studied.

"Greater international efforts are needed to understand the risk factors for this rapidly fatal cancer and to improve prevention, screening and treatment," said co-author Professor Michel Coleman of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

Also worrying are the sometimes extreme differences in the survival of childhood cancer. It has been reported that brain tumors in children have the largest global difference.

While the survival rate in Denmark and Sweden is about 80 percent, it is less than 40 percent in Mexico and Brazil.

"Despite improvements in awareness, services and treatments, cancer kills more than 100,000 children every year worldwide," says Coleman.

"If we want to ensure that more children survive cancer longer, we need reliable data on the cost and effectiveness of health services in all countries to compare the impact of strategies in treating childhood cancer." (Ad)