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Frankfurt / Main (dpa / lhe) - The corona pandemic also has an impact on the number of cancer diagnoses and preventive examinations.
According to a Barmer count, fewer cancers have been diagnosed since the crisis began.
As the health insurance company reported on the occasion of World Cancer Day on February 4, the sick leave due to cancer in Hesse in the second quarter - April to June 2020 - was more than five percent below the previous year's level.
This comes from regional data for Hesse in the Barmer Health Report 2020.
According to Barmer, the results are age and gender standardized and relate to people of working age.
"It is very unlikely that the decline in diagnoses is due to the fact that fewer people get sick," said Martin Till, head of the Barmer region in Hesse.
He suspects: "Because of concerns about a Covid 19 infection, many patients go to the doctor less often."
That is risky.
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The number of screening examinations also decreased.
If you compare the second quarter of 2019 and 2020, the billing data for Barmer insured persons in Hessen show a decrease of more than 15 percent in prostate cancer early detection.
Breast cancer screening for women fell by more than 13 percent, and participation in mammography screening even fell by more than 23 percent.
The health insurance fund advises those entitled to benefits to carry out these examinations «as soon as possible.
Under no circumstances should one wait for the end of the pandemic, »said Till.
"In an emergency, valuable time could be lost."
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210129-99-218129 / 2