Early screening for colorectal cancer

Colorectal (colon) cancer
develops slowly. Precancerous stages often take several years to develop into a dangerous cancer. These stages are easy to detect with a colonoscopy and can be removed during the examination. As a result, colorectal cancer can be prevented far more effectively through targeted screening than other types of cancer. Since 2002, insured people in Germany have been eligible for a free screening colonoscopy starting at age 55. “If more people had themselves screened, a significant number of colorectal cancer cases could be prevented in Germany,” says Professor Hermann Brenner of the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ). According to an analysis by DKFZ scientists under Brenner, in the period 2003–2010 almost 100,000 cases of colorectal cancer were prevented by early screening nationwide and almost 50,000 additional cases were detected in a treatable early stage. But so far only a small number of people eligible for such early screening have taken advantage of this service. This is why the DKFZ epidemiologist is working together with the Saarland cancer registry to launch a model project in which an organized screening approach will be tested. As part of the project, personal invitations will be sent out to 30,000 randomly selected people from the relevant age group to take part in a colonoscopy. “Of course, we will determine the costs of the invitation-based screening and compare them to the expected long-term decline in cancer cases,” says Hermann Brenner. “If the project is successful – as we anticipate – it could make sense to send out invitations throughout Germany for early screenings.”

Andreas Fischer