Doctors call for speed

Colorectal cancer: project for better screening stalls

Every year, 5000 women and men in Austria are diagnosed with bowel cancer and 2000 people die from it. The majority are preventable, say doctors and criticize the "standstill" in screening. A negotiated pilot project in Tyrol, Styria and Vienna has been delayed. 

Bowel cancer is the third most common cancer in Austria. Every year, 2,000 people die, 150 in Tyrol alone. These figures were presented on Friday by the Tyrolean Medical Association with President Stefan Kastner and specialists Hermann Draxl and Katrin Bermoser. "The good news," says Draxl, "if diagnosed early, the chances of survival are up to 95 percent." However, many tumors are only detected late.

The most important reason for this, according to doctors: Too few people in Austria go for regular check-ups. "Only around 20 percent of the population take advantage of this opportunity," regrets Kastner.

Colonoscopy is the gold standard for screening. In future, however, patients will also be able to choose a stool test based on immunology.

Hermann Draxl, Mediziner

What the screening examination can do
A preventive colonoscopy is paid for by the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) between 50 and 70 every ten years. Bermoser summarizes the benefits as follows: "Bowel cancer mainly develops from polyps. In most cases, these can be removed painlessly during the colonoscopy. Screening therefore saves lives."

The pilot project for even better screening must now be driven forward by social insurance.

Stefan Kastner, Präsident der Tiroler Ärztekammer

Bild: Johanna Birbaumer

In other countries, participation rates of 60 percent and more have been achieved. Austria would also like to achieve this. A pilot project is therefore planned in the federal states of Tyrol, Styria and Vienna. This envisages financing screening measures from the age of 45 and establishing an invitation system so that the population is made aware of the benefits of this examination. The basic decision for the project has been made. However, it has recently stalled. "We had the last meeting in October, then nothing more," Kastner is annoyed. He says that ÖGK is probably in a "state of shock" due to its financial problems.

Preventive colonoscopy saves lives and can save patients a lot of suffering.

Katrin Bermoser, Medizinerin

New system saves up to 1 billion euros according to doctors 
The President of the Medical Association emphasizes that an improved screening programme could not only save lives, but also save up to one billion euros in healthcare expenditure over ten years. However, it is important to start now and create more points of contact for preventive check-ups. In addition to hospitals, a total of 30 statutory health insurance and elective doctors currently offer the examination in Tyrol. Waiting times are up to six months.