Vorarlberg trend:

Fewer deaths from cancer

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(Bild: kazoka303030 - stock.adobe.com)

The latest cancer report shows a positive trend for Austria's westernmost province, with shifts in the most common fatal cancers. 

aks Gesundheits GmbH has now presented the cancer report for Vorarlberg for the years 2022/2023 - fortunately, it shows some very positive developments: "In addition to colorectal cancer mortality, which has been falling for years, this time we are also seeing a decrease in new cases of prostate cancer and fewer lung cancer deaths among women," explains Wolfgang Brozek, research associate at the Vorarlberg Cancer Registry.

"At the same time, the total number of cancer deaths has fallen slightly and the number of new cases is stable despite the growing population," he adds. On average, 1976 people (920 women, 1056 men) are diagnosed with cancer each year, 362 women and 445 men die of the consequences each year.

Better treatment options
Most new diagnoses were breast cancer (31 percent) and prostate cancer (29 percent), the most common causes of cancer deaths were breast cancer (17 percent) in women and lung cancer (21 percent) in men. In women, pancreatic cancer is in third place in the cancer death rankings for the first time, replacing colorectal cancer. This is mainly due to improved therapies for colorectal cancer.

And in men, a slight decline in first-time prostate cancer diagnoses was recorded after a sharp rise in 2020. "Cancer affects us all," explained State Councillor Martina Rüscher. That is why the province is constantly striving to improve treatment options. One of the current goals is the launch of a telemedical therapy monitoring system.