Presentation (CTI)

OBJECTIVES: Treatment of cancer patients in certified centers is associated with significantly reduced mortality (Schmitt et al., 2023), largely due to adherence to multidisciplinary, guideline-based care pathways. Yet, it remains unclear to what extent populations across Germany have equitable access to such high-quality oncological services. This study introduces a reproducible method for assessing regional disparities between population-level cancer incidence and the treatment capacities of certified cancer centers, focusing on Germany’s five most prevalent cancer types.
METHODS: We conducted a district-level capacity analysis for breast (ICD-10 GM C50), prostate (ICD-10 GM C61), colorectal (ICD-10 GM C18-C20), lung (ICD-10 GM C34), and bladder cancer (ICD-10 GM C67). Regional, age- and sex-specific population data were obtained from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis, 2024); incidence rates by tumor type from the Centre for Cancer Registry Data (ZfKD, 2022). A demographic model estimated expected new cancer cases per district and tumor type. Certified cancer centers were identified via the OncoMap platform (DKG, 2025), while annual treatment volumes (as a proxy for capacity) were retrieved from the BundesKlinikAtlas database (BMG, 2025) using OPS-coded procedures. Regional treatment capacity was compared against estimated demand to derive district-level coverage ratios.
RESULTS: The analysis revealed considerable regional variation in the alignment of cancer incidence and certified treatment capacity across Germany. Our framework enables continuous monitoring of oncological service provision and allows for benchmarking care capacity across districts and cancer types.
CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the potential of publicly available health system data to uncover spatial inequalities in access to certified cancer care. The approach offers a scalable tool for evidence-based planning and supports efforts to improve equity in the provision of high-quality oncological services.