About one in two suffer from cancer

Almost half a million Germans suffer from cancer every year
According to one of the results of the current report "Cancer in Germany", published every two years by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) and the Society of the German Epidemiological Cancer Registry (GEKID), around 475,000 people are newly diagnosed with cancer in Germany becomes. The report covers 27 different types of cancer as well as the total number of cancers.

252,060 men and 225,890 women were diagnosed with cancer in Germany in 2012, according to the RKI. In the current report, the incidence and mortality related to 27 different types of cancer are also presented in regional and international comparison. Likewise, the tumor stages and the survival prospects are documented. For the first time, survival rates up to 10 years after diagnosis were also calculated for the report, reports the RKI.

The current cancer report of the RKI shows a stagnation of new cancer cases. (Image: vitanovski / fotolia.com)

Stagnation of cancer
According to the RKI, data from the epidemiological cancer registries up to 2012 showed that "stagnation in disease numbers is more likely to occur in the past five years." This is a very gratifying message as the trend continues despite the aging population. According to the RKI, the increase in the number of cancers over the past few decades has been significantly influenced by the rising average age, as many older age cancers occur more frequently. Here, a turnaround seems foreseeable. "Overall, this is a pleasing development," emphasizes RKI President Lothar H. Wieler.

Colon cancer cases decline
For some of the most common cancers, according to the findings of the latest report, declining trends are observed, which has a significant impact on the evolution of case numbers overall. Particularly in the case of colon cancer, the new diseases have recently decreased in both sexes, according to the RKI. In general, however, it is not possible to speak of a turnaround as numerous tumor types are still more likely to assume increasing numbers. According to the RKI, "some of the most dangerous forms of cancer, such as pancreatic and liver cancers, are also included." In the current report, prostate cancer (63,710 new cases in 2012), lung cancer (34,490) and colon cancer (33,740) were the most common cancers during men Women mainly from tumors of the mammary gland (69,550), the intestine (28,490) and the lungs (18,030) diseased.

Survival opportunities extremely different
According to the RKI, the individual cancers differ considerably in their consequences for those affected. Testicular cancer, for example, is so treatable that sufferers generally can not count on their life expectancy being limited. By contrast, the prognosis for pancreatic cancer remains very poor today. To what extent the survival rates differ for the various cancers is also evident from the current report. It also provides comprehensive information on the relevant risk factors. (Fp)