Screening and prophylaxis of cancer

Excerpt

Cancer is the second most common cause of death in developed countries, preceded only by heart diseases. Due to demographic changes, the number of cancer patients is rising and will increase to an estimated 15 million people in the United States by 2020, for example. This increase is complemented by the recent progress in treatment of cancer. This has led to a significant increase of cancer-related survival rates across all entities. The success in the fight against cancer is further augmented by screening programs enabling the detection of cancer in early stages, when cure is more likely to be reached than in later stages. …