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Erfurt (dpa / th) - In Thuringia, according to the Barmer health insurance company, the number of cancer early detection examinations used has noticeably decreased in the first phase of the corona pandemic.
The decrease compared to 2019 was different depending on the type of cancer, as the health insurance company announced on Tuesday with a view to World Cancer Day (February 4).
The number of legally insured Thuringians who used bowel cancer early detection by stool sample decreased in the second quarter - i.e. in the first lockdown - by up to 40 percent compared to the previous year.
For colonoscopies, the number of examinations fell by 12 percent.
The decline in skin cancer early detection was at a similar level, while it was higher in the annual early detection by gynecologists.
While these had used 103 400 Thuringian women in the second quarter of 2019, there were only 87 400 women in the second quarter of 2020, a decrease of 15 percent.
The rate of prostate cancer screening checks fell by around 17 percent over the same period.
Figures for the full year are not yet available.
The health insurance company cited fears and reluctance among patients for fear of being infected with the coronavirus as reasons for the decline.
On the other hand, reluctance on the part of doctors and doctors' offices that were temporarily closed or partially open due to quarantine also played a role.
In addition, the comprehensive X-ray examinations for early breast cancer detection were temporarily suspended.
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Barmer country manager Birgit Dziuk described the decline as "life-threatening hesitation".
The Thuringian Cancer Society also appeals because of the risk of delayed cancer diagnoses to make use of early detection examinations even in the pandemic.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210202-99-267391 / 2