Every year, almost 500.000 people are newly diagnosed with cancer in Germany, of those 1.800 children and young people under the age of 15. To help these patients and their families is German Cancer Aid’s most important objective.
Since 1974, the organization has been promoting projects to improve prevention, early detection, diagnostics, therapy, medical follow-up care, and psychosocial care. German Cancer Aid informs the public on the subject of cancer, possible ways to prevent it, and early detection. German Cancer Aid see themselves as an advocate for cancer patients and promotes the best possible care for cancer patients in Germany in terms of of medicine and public health policies.
Together with its daughter organization the Dr. Mildred Scheel Foundation for Cancer Research, it promotes various innovative research projects with the aim to develop new cancer therapies and diagnostic procedures. German Cancer Aid receives no public funds and finances their activities entirely from public voluntary donations.
German Cancer Aid is the developer of the new NCT building, which has been located on the Heidelberg University campus since 2010. Aiming to offer its patients interdisciplinary treatment based on state-of-the-art research and medical knowledge, the organization initiated a program as early as 2007, promoting “Oncological Centers of Excellence”. This program also supports ten further centers throughout Germany. The NCT is in accordance with this funding priority.