DACHS

The DACHS study is an epidemiological case-control study and patient cohort study on colorectal cancer. DACHS stands for "Colorectal Cancer: Opportunities for Prevention through Screening".

For the DACHS study, a total of 7500 colorectal cancer patients and >8000 randomly selected control persons without colorectal cancer were recruited between 2003 and 2021 in order to subsequently compare them with each other. The control persons correspond to the patients in age and gender and come from the same cities and districts. The patients are followed up for 20 years to see how their disease progresses.

“With the DACHS study, we want to make a significant contribution to enabling even better colorectal cancer screening and colorectal cancer prognosis in the future.”

Michael Hoffmeister, Study PI

Principal Investigators

  • Employee image

    Prof. Dr. Michael Hoffmeister

    Interim division head, group leader

    Show profile
  • Employee image

    Prof. Dr. Hermann Brenner

    Head of department

Study description

Results of the DACHS study

More than 300 scientific articles have been published to date with the data and samples from the DACHS study. This has provided important, practice-relevant findings for colorectal cancer screening and early detection, as well as on the influence of lifestyle factors and genetics.

The investigation of prognostic markers, molecular pathological profiles and other influences such as comorbidities have also led to new findings for clinical practice. The long-term follow-up in the DACHS study can answer questions about quality of life as well as long-term and late effects in colorectal cancer patients with the aim of further improving patient care.

In addition to advanced epidemiological methods, we are increasingly using AI methods to examine the comprehensively characterized patient cohort of the DACHS study as well as the images of the tumor tissue or the highly complex molecular biological data with regard to personalized treatment and prognosis.

 

Selected publications

2025 - J Clin Oncol

Diabetes and Colorectal Cancer Risk and Survival According to Tumor Immunity Status

Wankhede D, Halama N, Kloor M, Brenner H, Hoffmeister M

2025 - Clin Cancer Res

Wankhede D, Halama N, Kloor M, Edelmann D, Brenner H, Hoffmeister M.

2024 - EBioMedicine

Yuan T, Wankhede D, Edelmann D, Kather JN, Tagscherer KE, Roth W, Bewerunge-Hudler M, Brobeil A, Kloor M, Bläker H, Brenner H, Hoffmeister M

2023 - JAMA Netw Open

Mandic M, Safizadeh F, Niedermaier T, Hoffmeister M, Brenner H

2020 - Am J Gastroenterol

Hoffmeister M, Bläker H, Jansen L, Alwers E, Amitay EL, Carr PR, Kloor M, Herpel E, Roth W, Chang-Claude J, Brenner H

2020 - Gastroenterology

Carr PR, Weigl K, Edelmann D, Jansen L, Chang-Claude J, Brenner H, Hoffmeister M

2020 - J Natl Compr Canc Netw

Boakye D, Walter V, Jansen L, Martens UM, Chang-Claude J, Hoffmeister M, Brenner H

2019 - Nat Med

Kather JN, Pearson AT, Halama N, Jäger D, Krause J, Loosen SH, Marx A, Boor P, Tacke F, Neumann UP, Grabsch HI, Yoshikawa T, Brenner H, Chang-Claude J, Hoffmeister M, Trautwein C, Luedde T

2019 - Clin Gastroenterol Hep

Bläker H, Alwers E, Arnold A, Herpel E, Tagscherer KE, Roth W, Jansen L, Walter V, Kloor M, Chang-Claude J, Brenner H, Hoffmeister M

2018 - Gastroenterology

Carr PR, Weigl K, Jansen L, Walter V, Erben V, Chang-Claude J, Brenner H, Hoffmeister M

2015 - JAMA

Nan H, Hutter CM, Lin Y, Jacobs EJ, Ulrich CM, White E, Baron JA, Berndt SI, Brenner H, Butterbach K, Caan BJ, Campbell PT, Carlson CS, Casey G, Chang-Claude J, Chanock SJ, Cotterchio M, Duggan D, Figueiredo JC, Fuchs CS, Giovannucci EL, Gong J, Haile RW, Harrison TA, Hayes RB, Hoffmeister M, Hopper JL, Hudson TJ, Jenkins MA, Jiao S, Lindor NM, Lemire M, Le Marchand L, Newcomb PA, Ogino S, Pflugeisen BM, Potter JD, Qu C, Rosse SA, Rudolph A, Schoen RE, Schumacher FR, Seminara D, Slattery ML, Thibodeau SN, Thomas F, Thornquist M, Warnick GS, Zanke BW, Gauderman WJ, Peters U, Hsu L, Chan AT; CCFR; GECCO

2014 - Gastroenterology

Brenner H, Chang-Claude J, Jansen L, Knebel P, Stock C, Hoffmeister M

2014 - Hum Mol Genet

Jiao S, Peters U, Berndt S, Brenner H, Butterbach K, Caan BJ, Carlson CS, Chan AT, Chang-Claude J, Chanock S, Curtis KR, Duggan D, Gong J, Harrison TA, Hayes RB, Henderson BE, Hoffmeister M, Kolonel LN, Le Marchand L, Potter JD, Rudolph A, Schoen RE, Seminara D, Slattery ML, White E, Hsu L

2012 - J Clin Oncol

Brenner H, Chang-Claude J, Rickert A, Seiler CM, Hoffmeister M

2011 - Br J Cancer

Jansen L, Hoffmeister M, Chang-Claude J, Brenner H, Arndt V

2011 - Ann Intern Med

Brenner H, Chang-Claude J, Seiler CM, Rickert A, Hoffmeister M

2011 - J Clin Oncol

Brenner H, Chang-Claude J, Seiler CM, Hoffmeister M

2006 - Gut

Brenner H, Chang–Claude J, Jansen L, Knebel P, Stock C, Hoffmeister M

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