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Press release from the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT)

Cancer medicine is facing a new era: personalized therapies, the use of huge amounts of data, and the application of artificial intelligence (AI) are rapidly changing research and care. But one important question remains: Who decides which innovations are truly relevant for patients? The 4th National Patient Expert Conference, which starts today in Berlin, seeks answers to this question. Around 200 participants from politics, science, clinics, and patient advocacy groups will spend three days discussing the future of cancer medicine—from the still unusual perspective of patients as research partners.

Patients at the center

The National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) is consistently driving this cultural change forward. Patients are involved in studies at an early stage, help shape programs such as the Patient Expert Academy (PEAK), and are also at the center of the annual conferences. The message is clear: patients are not just participants, but experts based on their lived experience.

Comments on the conference

“As patients, we don't just want to be informed about cancer research, we also want to help shape it. Our perspective is particularly important in clinical studies: we patients hope for more cures and longer survival through targeted research,” says Ulla Ohlms, member of the NCT Patient Research Council.

Patient participation is a fundamental part of the National Decade Against Cancer, an initiative of the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR), which is promoting the expansion of the NCT from two to six locations: "Our goal is to ensure that scientific findings are incorporated into healthcare more quickly – and that patients are more closely involved in the research process. The Patient Expert Conference shows how successful participation in cancer research can be achieved. Especially in the field of artificial intelligence, it is crucial that patients are involved from the outset. Their perspective ensures that technological progress serves those affected – we want to lay the foundations for saving lives and alleviating suffering," said Dorothee Bär, Federal Minister of Research, Technology, and Space, at the conference.

The scientific community also emphasizes the importance of this development: "Artificial intelligence is currently fundamentally changing cancer medicine—especially in molecular diagnostics and the development of personalized therapies, and in the future possibly even in prevention. To ensure that this change increasingly benefits patients, we need their involvement from the outset. The Patient Expert Conference is a very helpful forum for this," explains Prof. Ulrich Keilholz, spokesperson for the NCT Berlin Steering Committee and Director of the Charité Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Politically desired and widely supported

The conference is organized by the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), which supports all six NCT locations. The conference is supported by the BMFTR, German Cancer Aid, and the House of Cancer Self-Help. This makes it clear that patient participation is not just “nice to have,” but politically desired – and the touchstone for cancer research that is relevant, humane, and sustainable.

Program and outlook

The three-day conference offers a diverse program with keynotes, panel discussions, workshops, and a science slam. Topics range from AI-based applications in molecular tumor boards to digital prevention and questions of ethics and patient representation. But just as important as the stage are the conversations in between: during breaks, in the hallways, and while networking, ideas and alliances emerge that further advance the turning point in cancer medicine.

The image (copyright: DKFZ/NCT) shows Alexia Parsons, head of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research's “National Decade Against Cancer” project group, welcoming attendees to the 4th National Patient Expert Conference in Berlin.

Press contact

Janna von Greiffenstern
NCT Communications
Strategic Communications and Public Relations
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German Cancer Research Center
Foundation under public law
Im Neuenheimer Feld 280
69120 Heidelberg
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Phone +49 6221 42 2255
janna.vongreiffenstern(at)dkfz.de
www.nct.dkfz.de

The National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT)

The NCT is a long-term cooperation between the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), excellent partners in university medicine and other outstanding research partners at various locations in Germany: Berlin, Dresden, Heidelberg, SouthWest (Tübingen-Stuttgart/Ulm), WERA (Würzburg with the partners Erlangen, Regensburg and Augsburg) and West (Essen/Cologne). The expansion of the NCT from the original two sites in Heidelberg and Dresden to six sites in 2023 was driven by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of the National Decade Against Cancer and supported by the federal states of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, North Rhine-Westphalia and Saxony. 

The aim of the NCT is to translate innovations in cancer research in Germany into studies in a targeted and rapid manner in order to successfully diagnose cancer according to the latest state of research and treat it while maintaining a high quality of life. Patients are research partners at eye level.