“Austria will Colon cancer-free”, is Helga ThurnherPresident of the Austrian Colon Cancer Self-Help Group, is convinced. The self-help group is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. “We have succeeded in making colon cancer a socially acceptable disease; it is no longer a taboo subject,” Thurnher reported at a press conference on Thursday.
For almost 20 years, the Screening colonoscopydie Colonoscopy to Early detection of colon cancer, in this country for people over 50 a Cash benefitOn average, 17 to 18 percent of people over 50 now take advantage of the free examination every ten years.
This is having an effect: since 2005, the number of new cases per year has been reduced from around 5,000 to around 4,400. The number of deaths has also fallen: from around 3,500 to 2,400 per year.
Regulated screening brings great benefits
“But the offer alone still seems to be too little,” emphasises Andreas HussChairman of the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK). In order to motivate more Austrians to undergo colorectal cancer screening, a nationwide uniform invitation and reminder system be implemented.
In Burgenland and Vorarlberg, positive experiences have been made with such invitational screenings in recent years. Residents written for intestinal check loaded.
In Burgenland, this method has already enabled around twice as many carcinomas to be discovered as with more or less random colonoscopies. “In Vorarlberg, within ten years, 700 patients were examined in such a timely manner that a small procedure could finally cure an existing disease,” reports Huss. “700 people have been spared serious illnesses and even death.” The organized screening has also saved up to 70 million euros in treatment costs, “which can be used elsewhere in the health system.”
Colon cancer is the third most common type of cancer in this countryCompared to other types of cancer, colon cancer also causes third highest number of deathsUnfortunately, symptoms often only become noticeable when the disease is in an advanced stage.
The risk of colorectal cancer is Women significantly lower than for Men and has fallen somewhat more for men than for women in recent years.
To the Risk factors include inflammatory bowel disease, smoking, regular consumption of red and processed meat, a low-fiber diet and obesity. Symptoms such as blood in the stool, constipation, diarrhea or cramps often occur.
Expansion in the starting blocks
Such a Pilot project should now also be Vienna, Tyrol and Styria All insured persons aged 45 and over are asked to undergo screening. They can choose between a stool test, the so-called FIT-Test (FIT stands for Fecal Immunological Test, note)every two years and a Screening colonoscopy every ten years. If blood is found in the stool test, a colonoscopy will be performed within two weeks to investigate.
According to Huss, after an appropriate evaluation, the program will be rolled out across the country in the coming years. Various models of contact are being tested: While in Vienna the stool sample tubes are sent directly to all households concerned, in Tyrol and Styria the screening is organized by family doctors. “The former is associated with higher costs. But if it leads to more people taking advantage of the preventive care, it is worth pursuing,” summarizes Huss.
Colon cancer develops slowly
“Today, half of the patients with active colon cancer can be cured,” says Heinz Ludwigspecialist in internal medicine and president of the Austrian Forum against Cancer. “But that is still not enough. Especially because we are dealing with existing Early detection methods have the potential to significantly reduce colorectal cancer mortality.”
The vast majority of malignant tumors in the intestine do not develop overnight, but over years from Mucous membrane tumorsso-called Polyps“Enough time to discover and remove them during a colonoscopy – and prevent colon cancer,” says Alexander Klaus, medical director of the Barmherzige Schwestern Hospital Vienna and specialist in general and visceral surgery.
The problem: “With colon cancer, there are hardly any early symptoms apart from blood in the stool,” explains Klaus. In 20 to 30 percent of patients, the colon cancer has already spread by the time of diagnosis.
State-of-the-art prevention
Colonoscopy is still the gold standard when it comes to Diagnostic accuracy This means that even non-bleeding polyps can be discovered and removed immediately. The risk of cancer is eliminated.
However, the thought of a colonoscopy causes many people Discomfort They shy away from the test, even though it is carried out under a kind of short anesthetic and is not painful. The FIT test is a low-threshold alternative without surgery: the stool sample is taken at home and taken to a laboratory.
Precursors of colon tumors can be detected particularly reliably using a combination of FIT test and DNA analysis of stool (ColoAlert test). The new DNA test is already available for 190 euros.
In the USA, a Blood test approved as a new early detection method: The procedure detects cell-free tumor DNA in the blood. In terms of diagnostic reliability, the test still lags behind colonoscopy, but is being continuously refined. In Europe, Ludwig does not expect such tests to be integrated into the preventive program until the next five to ten years. “The tests – several companies are currently working on such blood tests – will certainly soon be submitted to the European drug authority for approval.”
Colon cancer surgery with a robot
Colon cancer therapies are also constantly evolving: Personalized treatments oder robot-assisted surgery have increased the chances of survival in recent years.
The Sisters of Mercy Hospital in Vienna has also had a surgical robot for two years: “It is a system in the operating room that gives us new options when it comes to viewing the surgical field,” says Klaus. “But it also allows surgeons greater freedom of movement. This helps us to operate on the cancer with even greater anatomical precision.”
(kurier.at)
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12.09.2024, 14:05
