Women can take advantage of extended breast cancer screening

Health - Women can take advantage of extended breast cancer screening

With the expansion of the early detection program for breast cancer in Thuringia, approximately 71,000 women have additional claim to a censored-financed X-ray examination, according to health insurance statements. As of July 1st, women up to the age of 75 can participate in the mammography screening examination every two years, as the Techniker Krankenkasse announced on Thursday. Previously, this was only possible for women between the ages of 50 and 69. During a mammography exam, breast cancer can be detected in a very early stage, often before lumps in the breast tissue can be felt.

This increases survival chances and allows treated women gentler treatment, as TK-CEO Guido Dressel emphasized. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. In the age group of 60-74 year olds, about one third of the new cancer diagnoses in the year 2022 were breast cancer, according to the insurance company, citing the currently available data from the Thuringian Clinical Cancer Register. In the case of women over 75, breast cancer accounted for 28% of new diagnoses during this period. In total, 1746 women in Thuringia were newly diagnosed with breast cancer in the year 2022.

The Barmer Health Insurance recommended that women take advantage of breast cancer early detection. In the past years, when it was only possible for 50-69 year old women, participation rates had decreased. According to the insurance company's data analysis, only around 55% of eligible women participated in the mammography screening in the years 2021 and 2022. Ten years ago, in the years 2011 and 2012, it was 63.5%. During the Corona pandemic, the early detection program temporarily paused.

1. The expansion of the early detection program for breast cancer in Thuringia now allows roughly 71,000 women to claim a subsidized mammography, as stated in health insurance records.
2. The Techniker Krankenkasse (TKK) announced that women up to 75 years old can now undergo a mammography screening examination every two years, which was previously only available for women between the ages of 50 and 69.
3. In Erfurt, breast cancer is the most prevalent disease among women, accounting for a significant proportion of new cancer diagnoses, as highlighted by data from the Thuringian Clinical Cancer Register.
4. With the wider availability of mammography screening, early detection of breast cancer in Thuringia can lead to improved survival rates and milder treatment options, as emphasized by TK-CEO Guido Dressel.

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