More and more people are suffering from Skin Cancer. The prerequisite for successful treatment is timely diagnosis.
According to the German Cancer Aid, the rate of new cases of skin cancer has increased sixfold since 1980. Every year, 118,000 people in Germany are newly diagnosed with white Skin Cancer (basal cell or squamous cell cancer). 22,000 people are newly diagnosed with the particularly dangerous black skin cancer (malignant melanoma) every year. Around 3,000 Germans die of malignant melanoma every year. According to experts, around 875,000 patients are currently being treated for skin cancer every year (primary disease, recurrences, multiple tumors).
Experts believe that the reasons for this are climate change and the associated increasing dry and sunny periods. On the other hand, frequent visits to the solarium and the Germans' love of traveling to southern countries are also contributing to the increase in the number of cases.
Since these types of cancer can usually be treated very successfully if diagnosed early, statutory health insurance companies have been offering their insured members a free skin cancer screening since July 1, 2008. Insured members aged 35 and over are entitled to this so-called skin cancer screening every two years. The skin cancer screening is billed via chip card in a practice specially qualified for this purpose. You can find a practice near you using the online doctor search of the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians and the Medical Association of Lower Saxony on the website www.arztauskunft-niedersachsen.de -> START SEARCH under the heading “Special knowledge”: Skin cancer screening.
In addition to preventive examinations, responsible use of natural and artificial sun exposure plays a crucial role in preventing Skin Cancer. UV rays from the sun and solariums can cause both acute and chronic skin damage and damage the genetic material in skin cells. If the skin is unable to repair this damage, altered cells can degenerate and eventually turn into cancer cells. Proper sun protection is therefore particularly important to prevent skin cancer.