Number of cancer diagnoses fell in 2020: pandemic could be one reason
According to the RKI, there are many reasons for this. They range from temporarily restricted services during the corona pandemic and reduced use of cancer screening tests to delayed clarification of symptoms of illness, for example because people were less likely to visit GPs and specialists for fear of infection.
According to the RKI, it is not yet possible to assess whether these developments have led to a deterioration in the chances of treatment or have had an impact on mortality. This will "only be possible to assess over time". Cancer mortality in Germany continued to decline in 2021 with around 228,000 cancer-related deaths.
The analysis of "Cancer in Germany", which is published every two years, confirms a decline in some screening tests during the pandemic. Mammography screening for the early detection of breast cancer fell by around nine percent between 2019 and the first coronavirus year 2020, which corresponds to 263,991 fewer examinations.
Screening examinations for skin cancer also fell by 20 percent year-on-year. In contrast, a total of around 11,500 more colonoscopies were carried out for colorectal cancer screening in 2020 than in the previous year.
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The decrease in cancer diagnoses during the Corona pandemic in 2020 could be partially attributed to people in Germany being less likely to visit healthcare professionals due to fear of infection. According to the RKI, there were around 263,991 fewer mammography screenings for breast cancer in the first coronavirus year compared to 2019. This year-on-year decrease was also observed in screening examinations for skin cancer, with a 20% reduction. Conversely, colorectal cancer screenings via colonoscopies saw an increase of around 11,500 procedures in 2020 compared to the previous year. The current statistics indicate that cancer mortality in Germany continued to decline in 2021, with around 228,000 cancer-related deaths. However, the long-term impacts on treatment chances and mortality remain uncertain, as the RKI cannot definitively assess these factors yet.
Source: www.stern.de
