Cancer is a frightening diagnosis that usually hits those affected suddenly and completely unexpectedly. Which type of cancer is most common in women in Germany?
Like Kate, several women in Germany have also been newly diagnosed with cancer. According to cancer registry data, approximately 230,000 are diagnosed each year. In theory, this disease can affect anyone. The risk of malignant cell transformation increases with age. But young people are also affected.
These cancers most affect women
Tumors can occur in different areas of the body. The cancer registry of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) records which types of cancer occur most frequently. As the most recently recorded number of new cases in 2020 shows, breast cancer is the most common form in women, followed by colon and lung cancer. Uterine cancer or malignant melanoma of the skin are also among the five most common types of cancer in women.
The most common types of cancer in women at a glance:
- Breast cancer – 30.5 percent
- Colon cancer – 10.5 percent
- Lung cancer – 9.8 percent
- Black skin cancer (melanoma) – 4.9 percent
- Uterine Cancer – 4.7 percent
- Pancreatic cancer – 4.3 percent
- Non-Hodgkin lymphoma – 3.6 percent
- Ovarian cancer – 3.1 percent
- Leukemia – 2.4 percent
- Stomach cancer – 2.3 percent
- Kidney cancer – 2.1 percent
- Cervical cancer – 2.0 percent
- Bladder cancer – 2.0 percent
By the way
Breast cancer is the most common, but not the most dangerous type of cancer. If detected and treated early, most diseases can be cured.
The risk of some types of cancer varies over the course of life.
The statistical risk of developing a particular type of cancer is also determined by age:
- According to the Cancer Registry, women ages 20 to 29 are most likely to develop skin cancer.
- Breast cancer is predominantly diagnosed in women over the age of 30. The chances increase further in middle age, i.e. between 45 and 64 years, and older women above 65 years of age are also most likely to be affected by breast cancer.
- Cervical cancer is also a more common type of cancer in middle-aged women, but statistically its chances again decrease.
- Apart from breast cancer, colon and lung cancer are also most common in older women.
Regular checkups are important to reduce the risk of cancer. For most types of tumors, the earlier the tumor is detected, the better the chances of cure.
