Federal Minister of health, Jens Spahn is holding cancer in the foreseeable future for vanquished. “There is a good chance that we have defeated in ten to twenty years, the cancer”, said the CDU politician of the “Rheinische Post”. The medical progress is immense, the research is promising. “And we know considerably more. There is progress in cancer detection, prevention.”
The German cancer research center (DKFZ) on the other hand, in a recent press release significantly more pessimistic. Therefore, experts assume that the number of new cancer cases in Germany rise by 2030, up to 600,000 per year. Reason for this is the ageing society.
Michael Baumann, Chairman of the Executive Board of the German cancer research center (DKFZ), assesses the Situation more carefully than Spahn. “Cancer is a disease due to its biological diversity, one of the most complex,” says Baumann. “The past has shown that we should not be with temporal prediction to a “victory over cancer” too fast”.
The expert assumes that researchers in the next ten to twenty years of survival to achieve significant improvements in the rates of Cancer and cancer patients can allow a better quality of life. “In the prevention of cancer, we need but may have a longer breath, until success will be achieved,” says Baumann.
The German Foundation for patient protection, expressed himself indignant over the statement Spahns. In view of the many people who suffer from cancer, whether it is “irresponsible”, such claims, said Board Eugen Brysch. “A Minister of health should not squander for a headline, the confidence of the patients.”
1971: Nixon’s “war on Cancer”
The Federal Ministry of health has launched together with the DKFZ and the Federal Ministry of education and research (BMBF) this week, the “National decade against cancer”. The Initiative has the goal to prevent cancer, to improve chances of cure and improve the quality of life of those Affected. “To Achieve these ambitious objectives, substantial efforts in cancer research,” said Baumann.
In a first step, the BMBF practice promotes-changing clinical trials for the prevention, diagnosis and therapy of cancer. For this purpose, in the framework of the decade, up to 62 million Euro. Further initiatives are to follow.
Spahn is not the first politician who predicted a victory over the cancer. Already in 1971 the then US President Richard Nixon declared the fight against cancer, the “war on Cancer”. Inspired by the first Successes of chemotherapy, he turned $ 100 million for research into new drugs available. Cancer should be in 25 years is not curable, he said. This target Doctors to achieve more and more today, but still not in all patients.
In Germany, cancer is after cardiovascular disease the second most common cause of death. 2015 cancer diseases, according to the Federal Statistical office, the cause for almost a quarter of all deaths.