Cancer

Statutory health insurance funds in Germany have offered bowel cancer screening for over 30 years. In 2003 endoscopy of the bowel has been added to the tests offered for screening. Recent trials make it possible to better assess what benefits can be expected from the tests and what their disadvantages are. Read about what the different tests can do in our feature on screening.

Malignant tumours can be life-threatening. There are a variety of treatments that aim to remove them, or at least stop them from growing and spreading. You can read about the most commonly used cancer treatments in this feature.

Most of us are familiar with our teeth feeling somewhat “fuzzy” after eating sweets. But if your entire mouth feels cottony all the time, your sense of taste is impaired, and you are having trouble swallowing, an oral fungal infection may be the cause. It is hardly ever a danger to your health, but it is very unpleasant to have. This feature is about how people who have cancer or HIV/AIDS can prevent this kind of infection (often called “oral thrush”), as well as what treatment options are available to them.

Human papillomaviruses (HPV) play an important role in the development of cervical cancer. There is now a vaccine against some of these sexually transmitted viruses. However, the vaccine only works against the most common cancer-causing HPV viruses so it does not offer complete protection. You will find objective, neutral and up-to-date information on the HPV vaccine in our feature.

In Germany and many other countries, breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women. It is usually detected at an advanced age. Sometimes breast cancer is only detected when it has already formed metastases. But it can still be treated then, and many women continue to live with this disease for years. Our in-depth feature explains what therapies are available and how women can cope with this serious disease. Please note that all information on public health care reflects the situation in Germany, and may not apply to other countries.

An imaging technique, something to do with rays, being put in a tube – many people do have a vague idea of what a PET scan is about. If you’d like to know more, you can now find information about PET on our website: for example, the reason you need to get an injection first and why this method is used for tumors.

There is no shortage of recommendations about how to prevent bowel cancer: more fibre, less meat, vitamin supplements and even medicines feature in the long list of suggestions that have been propagated for years. We have studied the latest evidence to see how much scientific support there now is for these common recommendations.

What someone considers to be a threat is mostly a very personal issue. This is also true for skin cancer. Most people never get dangerous skin cancer, and particularly melanomas are relatively rare. So a lot of people do not worry about it too much. On the other hand, there are ways to prevent skin cancer. This feature aims to help you find your own way of dealing with the sun.

If someone has lymphedema, their arm or leg may become swollen due to a build-up of lymph fluid in the tissue. This often happens when lymph vessels are damaged during surgery or radiotherapy. The condition is common in women who have had breast cancer treatment. In our fact sheet you can read about the typical signs of lymphedema, as well as the treatment and prevention options.

There are three main options in the treatment of cancer (malignant tumours): Surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Radiotherapy aims to destroy the cancerous tissue by exposing it to certain high-energy rays. The source of radiation can be located outside the body (external radiotherapy), inside the body or very close to the tumour (internal radiotherapy or brachytherapy).

You will find interesting facts on the opportunities and risks of screening tests in this feature. You can find out, for example, why screening cannot prevent diseases, why false test results can have serious consequences, what questions can help make decisions about a screening, and what “IGeL” stands for in the German health care system.

Autologous, allogeneic, or reduced-intensity – there are different ways of transplanting stem cells. We explain what these differences are and what kinds of complications can be expected. You can also read how blood stem cells can be obtained for use in transplantation.