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AOK: Fewer cancer patients in Frankfurt than in the rest of Hesse

According to the AOK health atlas, the incidence of cancer varies greatly from region to region in Germany. What examples does the health insurance company cite?

A medical tactile examiner (MTU) examines a patient's breast.
A medical tactile examiner (MTU) examines a patient's breast.

Health - AOK: Fewer cancer patients in Frankfurt than in the rest of Hesse

In Frankfurt, according to AOK, a lower percentage of residents were diagnosed with cancer than in other regions of Hesse. The health insurance fund announced this on Thursday in Bad Homburg, referring to a complex calculation procedure with the diagnosis data of the entire population. According to the latest AOK Health Atlas, for example, 3.58% of the female population in the Hersfeld-Rotenburg district had breast cancer, while in Frankfurt it was only 1.94%.

This disparity was also confirmed for both genders in terms of colon cancer with 1.18% in the Hersfeld-Rotenburg district and 0.56% in Frankfurt. The same was true for prostate cancer with 4.13% among the male population in the Hersfeld-Rotenburg district and 1.92% in Frankfurt. Even for black skin cancer, this difference was registered at 0.66% for males and females in the Hersfeld-Rotenburg district and 0.30% in Frankfurt.

The AOK declined to comment on the reason for this unequal distribution when asked. It's speculation - the causes could be varied, they said. According to the Statistical State Office, 16,370 people in Hesse died of cancer in 2022 - two percent more than in the previous year and ten percent more than in 2002.

  1. The AOK health insurance fund is based in Hesse, specifically in Bad Homburg.
  2. Interestingly, Hersfeld-Rotenburg, another district in Hesse, has higher disease rates compared to Frankfurt, as evidenced by the AOK statistics.
  3. For instance, 3.58% of women in Hersfeld-Rotenburg have been diagnosed with breast cancer, a higher percentage compared to the 1.94% in Frankfurt.
  4. A similar trend is observed for men with prostate cancer, as the AOK Health Atlas shows a higher incidence rate in Hersfeld-Rotenburg (4.13%) compared to Frankfurt (1.92%).

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