Germany has taken a step forward in introducing a national lung cancer screening programme.
Lung cancer screening has the potential to diagnose the disease at an earlier point, improving treatment options and survival rates. In 2019, Germany saw over 63,000 new cases of lung cancer diagnosed in the year and around 53,900 deaths from the disease, according to the International Respiratory Coalition’s Lung Facts.
Germany joins a list of countries moving towards the introduction of low-dose CT (LDCT) lung screening programs. These include the USA, Canada, Australia, China, South Korea, Croatia, Poland, and the Czech Republic.
In an interview with a reporter from the AuntMinnieEurope.com website, Professor Marie-Pierre Revel from the SOLACE project, commented: “Another European country moving towards implementation is a very good sign. The program in itself is not very different from what other countries have applied. There are small differences regarding the eligibility criteria, and no reimbursement yet.”
Prof. Dr. Torsten Blum, consultant physician at the Lungenklinik Heckeshorn, Helios Klinikum Emil von Behring and SOLACE coordinator explained that until the Federal Joint Committee regulation takes effect, the risk of unstructured LDCT is present.
Germany has issued a joint statement that paves the way for a lung cancer screening programme. The Lung Cancer Early Detection Ordinance (LuKrFrühErkV) of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) is the first step towards this.
The next step is for the German Federal Joint Committee (Gemeinsame Bundesausschuss, G-BA) to decide what a programme would look like and what it would include. They will also determine how the costs are covered for people with insurance.
Read the full text about the new national screening program (in German).
This project is co-funded under the EU4Health Programme 2021–2027 under grant agreement no. 101101187. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Health and Digital Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
