Personalized Early Detection of Prostate Cancer

The department Personalized Early Detection of Prostate Cancer is working on new risk-adapted strategies for the personalised early detection of prostate cancer using a baseline PSA value at the age of 45 or 50. It cooperates closely with the Department of Cancer Epidemiology (Prof Rudolf Kaaks) and coordinates the PROBASE study, one of the world's largest active prostate cancer screening studies in cooperation with the DKFZ. PROBASE is a collaborative screening study with four clinical study centres at the University Hospitals of Düsseldorf, Hanover, Heidelberg and the Technical University of Munich. Data management has been coordinated at the DKFZ since the start of the study in 2013. Prof. Nikolaus Becker, who co-initiated the PROBASE study together with Prof. Peter Albers, was responsible for data management and epidemiological implementation until his retirement. The study is funded by German Cancer Aid. Since the 4th funding period (2022), the study coordination has been transferred from the University Hospital Düsseldorf to the DKFZ. The study includes reference institutions for radiology (University of Düsseldorf), nuclear medicine (University of Düsseldorf) and pathology (University of Bonn). Biobanking of blood and urine has been established at all sites. In addition, samples from radical prostatectomies are stored in a tissue biobank at the University of Bonn. An MRI image database has been set up at the University of Düsseldorf. In total, more than 50 scientists and documentation staff are currently working for PROBASE.

Prostate cancer screening is on the EU agenda to further develop risk-adapted screening programmes. PROBASE will play an important role in providing data for this approach. At national level, PROBASE data and strategies will be used to develop personalised approaches for a risk-adapted prostate cancer screening programme for Germany. The department is also involved in European initiatives on implementation strategies for prostate cancer screening programmes.