Professor Kaulhausen, when will we finally beat cancer?

Remscheid. Prof. Dr. Kaulhausen, 5000 Remscheid residents suffer from cancer. In 2022, 275 died from the damn disease. When will we beat cancer?

Prof. Dr. Helmut Kaulhausen: I can’t give you a reliable answer to that.

But there are approaches that give hope. The Biontech founders Ugur Sahin and Özlem Türeci are researching vaccines.

Kaulhausen: Yes that is correct. The company Biontech originally worked on vaccines against cancer and then started researching a vaccine against corona during the pandemic. The company was successful. It is uncertain whether this will also be successful in the fight against cancer. However, we can and do vaccinate people against certain cancers today.

Which are they?

Kaulhausen: Cervical cancer, for example. It is caused by HPV viruses. These human papilloma viruses are widespread and are transmitted through sexual intercourse. There has been a vaccine against it since the late 2000s. So far, almost exclusively girls have been vaccinated. And before sexual maturity. Today we advise vaccinating boys too because they can transmit the viruses. For children under 10 there is certainly still time for this. But you shouldn’t wait until 16. They’re all ripe a little earlier today.

You are a gynecologist and are considered the father of the Bergisches Breast Center in Remscheid.

Kaulhausen: Yes. We started outpatient chemotherapy in the 1990s. Of course, it is much more pleasant for patients to be able to go home after three hours than to have to stay in the hospital for two or three days for chemo. Later, in the women’s clinic in what was then the Lennep Hospital, we closed a gap in care in the area of ​​breast and ovarian cancer with the Bergisches Breast Center, procured the necessary equipment and created the first position in Germany for a breast cancer aftercare nurse.

What has changed in cancer therapy since then?

Kaulhausen: Very much. Today we have therapeutic procedures that allow patients to gain many years of life. In the past it was often just weeks or months.

What are these procedures?

Kaulhausen: It is now possible to promote the immune defense and to intervene very specifically in the metabolism of the tumor cell. Both are individually tailored to the patient. The problem is that these procedures also attack healthy cells and the therapy is therefore associated with severe side effects that may be stronger than those of chemotherapy. Essentially, it’s about detecting cancer early. The procedures for early detection are also significantly better and more reliable than before.

Men go for preventive care less often than women. Why?

Kaulhausen: Because men think they always have to work and have no time. That was the case for me too. I’ve only been getting preventative care since I’ve retired. But that is of course fundamentally wrong. Because in some circumstances it may actually be too late.

Or is it the procedure? Before a colonoscopy, you have to drink lots of disgusting liquid to empty your bowels.

Kaulhausen: Yes, the preparation is indeed often more unpleasant than the examination itself. Perhaps artificial intelligence will help us one day. The patient then swallows a capsule that collects data in the intestine, which is then evaluated. But that’s all in the future. So you should get over yourself and go for a colonoscopy. If colon cancer is discovered early, it may be enough to remove a piece of the intestine. Once metastases have formed, things become significantly more difficult.

Back to the 5,000 Remscheid residents who are currently suffering from cancer. Are there actually more than in other cities?

Kaulhausen: No. After the plane accident in 1988, there were repeated rumors about an increase in cancer cases in the crash area on Stockder Strasse. But that could never be verified.

Is there actually such a thing as the first signs of cancer? Does the body warn you?

Kaulhausen: No. Detecting cancer requires ultrasound, mammography, colonoscopy and MRI. At best, women can manage to feel changes in the breast. Listening to yourself doesn’t help much beyond that.

To person

Prof. Dr. Helmut Kaulhausen (79) was chief physician of the women’s clinic at the Remscheid Clinic from 1985 to 2009. It was initially run by the city and is now part of the Sana Group. In 2000 he founded the first breast center in the Bergisches Land to address the increasing number of breast cancer cases. Today Helmut Kaulhausen is an advisory member of the Herdecke Tumor Conference – an interdisciplinary meeting of cancer doctors who are looking for therapeutic approaches for their patients. The retired chief physician is also chairman of the Remscheid-based association MET4A (Medical Education and Training for Africa). Its goal: Help people help themselves, primarily in Eritrea. Experienced doctors and midwives carry out two-week missions twice a year in African project countries, especially those with high maternal and infant mortality.

RGA