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Oncology

European lung cancer initiative: focus on early detection and effective treatment

A European Commission plan aims to improve early cancer detection and treatment. Could lung cancer patients also benefit from this?

5min
Matthias Manych
Published on 11. November 2021

You can be symptom-free and yet seriously ill: Globally, lung cancer is the second most common cancer and the deadliest. The lack of clear symptoms in the early stages means it is often detected too late. Early detection strategies are key, but this is a type of cancer that challenges medicine and health policy alike. We paid a visit to Professor Felix Herth, head of the Heidelberg University Hospital thorax clinic.

Prof. Herth, Heidelberg in Germany

Urgent need for early detection

Lung imaging

“The devices that we are now using are so low in radiation that I see no risk to those facing an examination,” says Herth.

Complex package with open questions

Current standard, possible perspectives

Prof. Herth explains Bronchoscopy

During a bronchscopy a flexible tube (bronchoscope, 3–6 mm diameter) is inserted through the mouth or nose into the windpipe and from there into the airways.

Successful early detection thanks to lung cancer screening

Lung Cancer Screening Stage Shift
By Matthias Manych
Matthias Manych, a biologist based in Berlin, works as a freelance scientific journalist, editor, and author specializing in medicine. His work is published mainly in specialist journals, but also in newspapers and online.

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  1. Robert Koch-Institut, Zentrum für Krebsregisterdaten, https://www.krebsdaten.de/Krebs/DE/Content/Krebsarten/Lungenkrebs/lungenkrebs_node.html.

  2. Deutsche Krebsgesellschaft: ONKO-Internetportal, https://www.krebsgesellschaft.de/onko-internetportal/onko-internetportal.html

  3. Ärzte Zeitung, 20.4.2021

  4. Europäische Kommission, Pressemitteilung 3.2.21, https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_21_342

  5. Europäische Kommission, https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/promoting-our-european-way-life/european-health-union/cancer-plan-europe_de#latest 

  6. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/lung-cancer/detection-diagnosis-staging/survival-rates.html 

  7. https://www.cancercenter.com/cancer-types/lung-cancer/stages/stage-iv-lung-cancer

  8. Knight, S.B. et al. Progress and prospects of early detection in lung cancer. Open Biol. 2017 Sep; 7(9): 170070. doi: 10.1098/rsob.170070

  9. https://news.cancerconnect.com/lung-cancer/treatment-of-stage-i-iiia-non-small-cell-lung-cancer-bXpb2DBLu0-jU9cGOPVoGg

  10. Courtesy of Erlangen University Hospital, Erlangen, Germany
  1. The statements by Siemens Healthineers customers described herein are based on results that were achieved in the customer’s unique setting. Since there is no “typical” hospital and many variables exist (e.g., hospital size, case mix, level of IT adoption) there can be no guarantee that other customers will achieve the same results.