Colon cancer screening needs to reach more people

Lisa Vogel studied departmental journalism with a focus on medicine and biosciences at Ansbach University and deepened her journalistic knowledge in the master's degree in multimedia information and communication. This was followed by a traineeship in the editorial team. Since September 2020 she has been writing as a freelance journalist for

More posts by Lisa Vogel All content is checked by medical journalists.

Colon cancer screening saves lives. Nevertheless, many do not make use of it. The chairwoman of the Felix Burda Foundation, Dr. Christa Maar explains in the interview how screening could reach even more people and how young people can also take precautionary measures.

Dr. Christa Maar

The art historian Dr. Christa Maar founded the Felix Burda Foundation in 2001. The foundation bears the name of her son, who died of colon cancer in 2001. Since then she has dedicated herself to the prevention of colon cancer. Today it is one of the best-known, non-profit institutions in this area in Germany.

Miss Dr. Maar, there has been some movement in colorectal cancer screening in recent years. An invitation to colon cancer screening will be sent by post, men are allowed to have colonoscopy from the age of 50. A step in the right direction?

Yes, but that's just a small step. Especially since the invitation procedure is not well implemented. Although you also receive a brochure with the invitation to take care of your pension, it is written so abstractly that you cannot understand it at all.

Aside from better brochures, what else could be done to encourage more people to take precautionary measures?

Colon cancer screening must become easier. Right now the process is incredibly cumbersome. People do get an invitation to colon cancer screening in the mail. But then you have to go to the family doctor and get the stool test, then carry it out at home and then carry it back to the doctor. Then there are the waiting times. That's absurd.

Our neighbors in the Netherlands show that there is also an easier way.

It's correct. In Holland, the chair test comes with the invitation by mail. Then you send the sample directly to the laboratory - that's it. It's that easy.

The stool test is only the first step. It is crucial that people with abnormal results also go to a colonoscopy afterwards.

The big advantage is that with a colonoscopy you can not only discover cancerous tumors, but above all remove precursors. Since screening colonoscopy was introduced in 2002, 140,000 deaths and 290,000 new cases have been prevented. You have to make people aware of that.

Why then still not enough people go to a colonoscopy as a precaution?

Nobody finds this topic particularly pleasant. It's ingrained. Some may have heard one or two horror stories from older relatives about the investigation. The only inconvenience is the preparation - the intestines must be empty and clean for the doctor to examine the intestines. During the actual examination you are sedated. You don't notice anything about it.

Aside from the stool test, are there any other ways to detect colon cancer as early as possible?

In fact, there is a new blood test! In Switzerland it has already been approved for colorectal cancer screening. If the doctor draws blood anyway, he can take part in colon cancer screening right away. So far, he has only been paid for by a health insurance company in Switzerland. But that's the future! This is where developments in Germany have to go.

Screening for colon cancer is only for people over the age of 50. More and more young people get sick.

Unfortunately that is correct. It is not yet clear why this is so. It is therefore important that young people also pay attention to the symptoms. Blood in the stool is the main alarm signal here. This is usually the first sign when something is growing in the intestine that doesn't belong there. Unfortunately, doctors don't pay enough attention to the topic of colon cancer in young people either. If there is blood in the stool, they often tap hemorrhoids and send them home with an ointment. There is a gap in our system.

So you should be persistent and insist on the colonoscopy.

You can register yourself with the gastroenterologist for a colonoscopy. If there is blood in the stool, no doctor will refuse the examination, even if younger people are not entitled to the colonoscopy as a regular health insurance benefit.

However, colon cancer usually only becomes noticeable at a later stage.

To compensate for this, we launched the FARKOR project. At the moment, all 25 to 49-year-olds in Bavaria are interviewed by their doctor about colon cancer cases in their families. If it turns out that there is a familial risk, they will be sent on for a colonoscopy. The health insurance companies provide advice and examinations - no matter how old the patients are. Establishing this idea throughout Germany - that is the goal.

What can I do if my family has colon cancer?

Everyone with a family history of colon cancer should see screening, including young people. In addition to hereditary risk factors, a similar lifestyle also plays a role in the risk of the disease, for example diet. Once there is a case in the family, it is clear that everyone else is at higher risk too. This is also an appeal to all sick people: They must warn their relatives and encourage them to take precautionary measures.

You can find more information about colon cancer prevention and the FARKOR model project on the Felix Burda Foundation website (www.felix-burda-stiftung.de)

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