Overview
- The state reports about 7,550 residents living with colorectal cancer and roughly 1,200 new cases each year.
- Health minister Stefanie Drese urges people to use screening offers and asks companies to add prevention to workplace health programs.
- Since April last year, men and women 50 and older can receive a covered colonoscopy, with a repeat allowed after ten years following a negative result.
- Stool-blood tests are covered from age 50, typically every two years, and a recent simulation study suggests combining tests with colonoscopy can reduce mortality by up to 89 percent.
- DKFZ epidemiologist Hermann Brenner cites about 23,000 colorectal cancer deaths annually in Germany, highlighting the need to raise screening uptake.