Overview
- A global IARC analysis in Nature Medicine estimates 7.1 million of 18.7 million new cancers in 2022 were linked to modifiable risks, led by smoking, infections and alcohol.
- The updated European Code against Cancer expands to 14 recommendations with air pollution included and underscores organized screening for colorectal, breast, cervical and lung cancer.
- 2024 data show substantial cancer mortality across German states, including 51,183 deaths in North Rhine-Westphalia (23.2% of all deaths) and a decline in Saxony-Anhalt, which no longer has the highest rate.
- Officials report rising screening uptake in Thuringia and renew appeals across Bavaria and elsewhere for people to use insurer-covered early-detection programs.
- Five‑year survival in Germany now exceeds 60%, and 2026 brings new therapies and the introduction in Germany of low‑dose CT lung screening from April, with cancer vaccine efforts still in development.