The earlier the diagnosis is made, the higher the chances of recovery. However, for 55% of annual cancer cases there are no conventional methods of early detection. This is where Krebs-Scan comes in: the programme can be used to detect a wide range of potentially dangerous tumours, i.e. both cancer and precancerous conditions — even at early, asymptomatic stages. This also includes types of cancer for which there are currently no conventional screening methods. This makes Krebs-Scan an ideal complement to traditional methods of early detection.
Unfortunately, cancer is the second most common cause of death in Germany. Many cancer-related deaths can be prevented. The fight is being waged through a multitude of measures, both large and small, in the fields of prevention, diagnosis, therapy and the early detection of potentially dangerous tumours.
The insurance company HanseMerkur offers an innovative early cancer detection programme - KREBS-SCAN.
This new programme helps to detect pre-cancerous and malignant neoplasms at a very early, asymptomatic stage, including those types of cancer for which the statutory health insurance early-detection programmes do not yet offer a test.
This can be done very simply — just one blood test a year.
The combination of the innovative blood test PanTum Detect® and the best imaging techniques currently available, such as MRI and PET/CT, is an optimal supplement to existing early detection programmes offered by state and private health insurance. Ancillary services and specialists help ensure the best possible treatment and recovery in the event of illness.
Key points of the Krebs-Scan programme
- Annual screening blood test for cancer
- If a condition is suspected, further diagnostic investigations should be carried out using computed tomography and/or magnetic resonance imaging
- Doctors’ advice by phone or online, including a second opinion before surgery
How does it work?
The Krebs-Scan is based on the innovative blood test PanTum Detect®. If cancer is suspected, specialists verify the result using imaging procedures. Imaging with PET/CT and MRI, currently the best method for locating tumours, is regarded as the gold standard.
If the image confirms the initial suspicion, the specialist will proceed with further actions. These include, for example, additional examinations for a more precise characterisation of the tumour and, if necessary, treatment and therapy.
Once cancer follow-up has been completed, you should resume having annual blood tests.
Advantages of the Krebs-Scan
Services
Krebs-Scan
ZY tariff
Annual early-stage screening using the PanTum Detect test®.
Follow-up examinations to assess the extent and localisation of the cancer using imaging techniques (PET/CT and MRI).
Supportive services for the treatment of diagnosed cancer.
If you are admitted to hospital:
Accommodation in a single or twin room with treatment by the chief physician or instead a hospital allowance of 75 euros per day.
Transport costs.
Kurtagegeld (a daily allowance for a Kur, an inpatient recovery stay): €75 a day for up to 42 days, if a doctor prescribes it after cancer.
Medical advice by telephone or online.
There is no waiting period.
Research methodology
PanTum Detect® detects specific enzymes in phagocytes (macrophages) in the blood, which, in many tumours, are produced in large quantities even at early, asymptomatic stages.
- TKTL1 enzyme plays a role in glucose metabolism and is present at higher concentrations in many cancer cells.
- DNAseX enzyme (Apo10) is involved in the programmed death of damaged cells and in most cases is found in higher concentrations in cancer cells, in which cell death is impaired.
Clinical trial results of the programme
- In people without symptoms whose PanTum Detect® blood test was positive, follow-up imaging (MRI and/or PET/CT) showed signs of cancer or a pre-cancerous condition in 124 of 151 cases, more than 8 in 10 (an interim result of the study). A positive test is therefore a reason to check the suspicion with imaging and to locate the tumour.
- In the study, the evidence was obtained at a time when there was a good chance of recovery in most cases.
- When used annually, PanTum Detect® can increase the chances of detecting potentially dangerous tumours at an early stage and therefore improve treatment options.
Take part in the programme
You can join HanseMerkur’s early cancer detection programme right now.
€27.50 a month
from the age of 70 — €45.30 a month
Where can I get an examination done
Click on the map to find and select a location where PanTum Detect® screenings are carried out as part of the Programme and book an appointment.
Any questions?
“During the clinical trials, 5’114 asymptomatic patients aged between 50 and 70 were screened, and 124 patients tested positive — that is 2.4%.”.
In relation to the above, the following questions arise:
Where, by whom, and when were the studies, the results of which are given above, conducted?
Can the authors of the paper answer the standard appraisal questions for a diagnostic test accuracy study:
1. Is there a comparison with the “gold standard”?
2. Was this comparison carried out in a blind manner?
3. Is the method for forming the studied patient group clearly described?
4. Did the evaluated patients have a sufficiently wide spectrum of disease (mild and severe cases, treated and untreated, with various forms of lesions, and with comorbidities)?
5. Has the reproducibility of the test results been evaluated?
6. Has the reliability of the result interpretation been assessed using a blind method?
7. Is the “norm” — the absence of disease — rationally defined?
8. If the test is offered as an adjunct to a battery of other tests, has it been shown that the use of this test improves the overall diagnostic outcome?
9. Is the “point of separation” between the healthy and the sick justified?
10. Is the test application tactic described in sufficient detail for you to use it correctly?
11. Has the overall utility of the test been assessed?
Hello.
Your questions are clearly professional in nature, and to avoid playing Chinese whispers, I would recommend that you ask them to Zyagnum AG, who are conducting this testing.
Also, there are already enough official scientific papers publicly available regarding this method.
This annual screening does not replace regular health checks under mandatory medical insurance, but serves as an additional way to detect cancer and also allows (if the disease is detected) for a more comfortable period of treatment and rehabilitation