Cologne Merheim Clinic starts lung cancer screening: prevent now!

Cologne Merheim Clinic starts lung cancer screening: prevent now!

There is fresh news in the field of lung health in Cologne. The Merheim Hospital now offers innovative lung cancer screening, which is particularly aimed at people aged 50 to 75 with a long history of smoking. Beate Brings, the head of the Rhenish Tumor Center at the Cologne Clinics and a long-time smoker herself, is the first test subject in the screening. The 61-year-old has been smoking since she was 14 and has reduced it to around seven to eight cigarettes a day. The first check-up brought good news – her CT scan revealed no abnormalities.

The managing director of the Cologne City Clinics, Axel Goßmann, emphasizes the urgency of early detection measures: “Early detection and timely treatment of lung cancer significantly increase the survival rate.” A statistic that makes this clear: Lung cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer in Germany. According to current figures, around 57,000 people develop lung cancer every year, with heavy smoking responsible for 80 to 90 percent of cases. Acibadem Healthpoint reports that 22,590 women and 34,100 men were newly diagnosed in 2020.

The details about the screening

The screening itself is carried out using low-dose computer tomography and should be available as a health insurance benefit from April 2026. The Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) has decided on the initiative to increase the chances of survival from lung cancer. Heavy smokers who have smoked one pack of cigarettes per day for at least 25 years are eligible to participate. The screening is repeated annually and places great emphasis on quality assurance to avoid erroneous results.

The team around chief physician Wolfram Windisch knows that quitting smoking is the best prevention against lung cancer. His colleague Stéphane Clollaud, who is leading the study, aims to help smokers quit cigarettes. The Merheim Lung Clinic is already working diligently on optimizing screening, which is supported by the Britta and Peter Wurm Foundation.

Smoking and its consequences

According to current statistics, the numbers are alarming: mortality from lung cancer in 2020 was 17,066 women and 27,751 men. This shows how important preventive measures are. Experts believe that the incidence in women could continue to rise until 2030, while it will remain stable or decrease slightly in men. The challenges in early detection, such as high costs and the lack of sensitivity of conventional methods, make it clear that new approaches such as screening are urgently needed.

In summary, it can be said that the Merheim Lung Hospital is taking an important step towards combating lung cancer with this initiative. The combination of early detection and support to stop smoking could help many people lead healthier lives and reduce the number of new cases. An important advance for lung health in Cologne!