Coordinator Prof. Dr. Kari Hemminki

About 210,000 people in Germany die of cancer each year. 330,000 new cancer cases are diagnosed yearly. Significant progress in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer has been made possible through recent research results in the field of molecular biology. Our Research Program is concerned with identifying risk factors (primary prevention), early detection (screening), and approaches to prevent disease progression (chemoprevention). The German Cancer Research Center occupies a leading position in the area of epidemiological studies as well as in nutrition sciences, biostatistics, and the application of biomarkers (characteristic biological features that are key for the prognosis or diagnosis of cancer). We expect that it may be possible to prevent up to 30 percent of new cancer cases within the next 20 to 30 years. To reach this goal, the main activities of the Research Program are focused on:

• integrating laboratory research, epidemiology, and clinical studies
• compiling and extending collections of biological samples and databases
• integrating genome, proteome, and biomarker research into epidemiological and clinical studies on the causes and prevention of cancer
• studies to identify causal connections such as between diet and cancer
• educational measures
• research and quality control related to tests and early detection programs
• characterizing new drugs for cancer prevention
• research in the fields of biostatistics and methological counseling