NCT meets all requirements / expansion in Heidelberg and Saxony / leading role in individualized cancer medicine in Europe and worldwide
German Cancer Aid has designated the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) as an oncological center of excellence for the third time after 2006 and 2010. After the latest expert review and the recommendations of the international expert commission, the NCT thereby retains its current status. Annual funding by German Cancer Aid of 750 000 Euros until 2018 is linked to the distinction. German Cancer Aid at present supports 13 oncological centers of excellence.
The distinction as an oncological center of excellence is subject to a number of clearly defined basic requirements developed by German Cancer Aid together with the NCT, which was founded in 2004 as the first Comprehensive Cancer Center in Germany. These prerequisites include the provision of interdisciplinary oncology for all tumor diseases with a central point of contact for cancer patients, the establishment of interdisciplinary conferences - the so-called tumor boards - and the development and implementation of treatment guidelines. Moreover, as many patients as possible are to be included in clinical studies, a clinical cancer registry must be kept, local self-help organizations must be involved and cooperation with physicians in private practice and hospitals from the surrounding area is to be assured. The NCT has met all these requirements for many years.
In 2004, the year the NCT was founded, treatment guidelines according to uniform standards for more than 50 different types of cancer had already been established and implemented. Furthermore, interdisciplinary cooperation of the different specialties as well as cooperation with private physicians and hospitals from the surrounding area were already part of the NCT's innovative approach in 2004. Today there are 19 different tumor boards and 20 percent of all patients who have presented to the NCT have been included in the more than 500 studies that have been carried out at the NCT since 2004. The NCT first received distinction as a self-help-friendly hospital in 2011. And with the inauguration of the new NCT building in 2010 a central contact point is available to all patients."
Since its official founding in 2004 by the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and Heidelberg University Hospital, the NCT has persistently pursued the aim of carrying out research, treatments and prevention in an interdisciplinary manner. Professor Christof von Kalle, spokesman of the NCT Board of Directors and Director of the department of Translational Oncology: "Our renewed distinction as an oncological center of excellence shows that we at the NCT have been on the right path with our interdisciplinary approach from the start. With the help of the DKFZ and the Heidelberg University Hospital, we have been successful in translating promising concepts from cancer research into clinical practice. The result has been that we enjoy an excellent reputation and high standing in professional circles and amongst patients both nationally and internationally."
Professor Dirk Jäger, Director of the department of Medical Oncology at the NCT, adds: "In addition to continually improving our treatment methods, another of our tasks is to assure the broad provision of high quality care in cooperation with external colleagues. Our cooperative collaboration makes us a role model for high quality oncology."
Expansion of the NCT
In the eyes of many experts the NCT is Germany's leading oncological institution. For this reason the Federal Government and the States of Baden-Württemberg and Saxony have decided to support the NCT's expansion by providing additional financial resources. The NCT is considered an international pioneer in the genetic analysis of tumor tissue. The Federal Government wants to develop the NCT into one of the leading centers for individualized cancer research in Europe and worldwide. During the festivities marking the NCT's tenth anniversary last October, the Federal Government announced that it will successively increase its investment in the NCT up to an additional 25 million Euros by 2019. Furthermore, the State of Baden-Württemberg will finance the extension of the NCT building to the tune of 20 million Euros. Moreover the NCT is to expand into Saxony as well: construction of the Heidelberg center's first external partner location is to begin in Dresden in 2015. Individualized cancer treatment will be the main focus of the new institution as well, modeled on Heidelberg.
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Legend: Front view National Center for Tumor Diseases
Press contact:
Doris Rübsam-Brodkorb
National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg
Press and Public Relations
Im Neuenheimer Feld 460
69120 Heidelberg
Phone: +49 6221 56-5930
Fax: +49 6221 56-5350
E-mail: doris.ruebsam-brodkorb@nct-heidelberg.de
www.nct-heidelberg.de
Dr. Stefanie Seltmann
German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ)
Press and Public Relations
Im Neuenheimer Feld 280
69120 Heidelberg
Phone: +49 6221 42-2854
Fax: +49 6221 42-2968
E-mail: S.Seltmann@dkfz.de
www.dkfz.de
Julia Bird
University Hospital and Medical Faculty Heidelberg
Press and Public Relations
Im Neuenheimer Feld 672
69120 Heidelberg
Phone:+49 6221 56-7071
Fax:+49 6221 56-4544
E-mail: julia.bird@med.uni-heidelberg.de
www.klinikum.uni-heidelberg.de
The National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg
The National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg is a joint institution of the German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg University Hospital and German Cancer Aid. The NCT's goal is to link promising approaches from cancer research with patient care from diagnosis to treatment, aftercare and prevention. The interdisciplinary tumor outpatient clinic is the central element of the NCT. Here the patients benefit from an individual treatment plan prepared in a timely manner in interdisciplinary expert rounds, the so-called tumor boards. Participation in clinical studies provides access to innovative therapies. The NCT thereby acts as a pioneering platform that translates novel research results from the laboratory into clinical practice. The NCT cooperates with self-help groups and supports them in their work.
German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ)
With its more than 3000 employees, the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) is the largest biomedical research institution in Germany. Over 1000 scientists at the DKFZ study how cancer develops, examine cancer risk factors and search for new strategies to prevent people from contracting cancer. They develop new methods with which cancer can be more precisely diagnosed and which allow cancer patients to be treated more successfully. The staff of the Cancer Information Service (KID) provide information about the widespread disease to patients, their families and the general public. Together with Heidelberg University Hospital, the DKFZ set up the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg, where promising approaches from cancer research are applied to clinical practice. As part of the "Deutsches Konsortium für Translationale Krebsforschung" (DKTK, German Consortium for Translational Cancer Research ), one of the six German centers for health research, the DKFZ maintains translational centers at seven university partner locations. The combination of excellent university medicine with the premium research of a Helmholtz Center contributes greatly to improving the chances of cancer patients. The Federal Ministry for Education and Research provides 90 percent of the DKFZ's funding, with the remaining 10 percent coming from the State of Baden-Württemberg. The DKFZ is a member of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers.
University Hospital and Medical Faculty Heidelberg, health care, research and teaching of international standing
Heidelberg University Hospital is one of the most important medical centers in Germany; Heidelberg University's Medical Faculty is one of Europe's most prestigious biomedical research facilities. Their shared objective is the development of innovative diagnostics and treatments and their prompt implementation for the benefit of the patient. The hospital and faculty employ approximately 12 600 individuals and are involved in training and qualification. Every year approximately 66 000 patients are treated as inpatients or day patients in more than 50 specialized clinical departments with about 1 900 beds, with more than 1 million patients being treated as outpatients. The Heidelberg Curriculum Medicinale (HeiCuMed) is at the forefront of medical training in Germany. At present approx. 3500 prospective physicians are studying in Heidelberg.