Organizers

The National Center for Tumor Diseases – NCT Heidelberg was founded as an exceptional alliance between the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg University Medical School (HUMS), the Heidelberg Medical Faculty, and German Cancer Aid. NCT’s mission is to foster interdisciplinary oncology for an optimized development of current clinical therapies, and to rapidly transfer scientific knowledge into clinical applications through a comprehensive concept of translational and preventive oncology. Multiple Clinical Cancer Programs with clinical and scientific excellence organize interdisciplinary patient care and form disease-oriented coordinated research programs that link NCT, DKFZ, and HUMS research groups with national and international research and clinical trial networks. NCT has implemented a highly innovative Precision Oncology Program (NCT POP) as a center-wide master strategy that, together with NCT’s dedicated Clinical Cancer Programs, coordinates all translational activities and focuses resources towards individualized cancer medicine, including patient-oriented strategies in genomics, proteomics, immunology, radiooncology, prevention, and early clinical development.

The German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) with its more than 2,500 employees is the largest biomedical research institute in Germany. At DKFZ, more than 1,000 scientists investigate how cancer develops, identify cancer risk factors and endeavor to find new strategies to prevent people from getting cancer. They develop novel approaches to make tumor diagnosis more precise and treatment of cancer patients more successful. The staff of the Cancer Information Service (KID) offers information about the widespread disease of cancer for patients, their families, and the general public. Jointly with Heidelberg University Hospital, DKFZ has established the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg, where promising approaches from cancer research are translated into the clinic. In the German Consortium for Translational Cancer Research (DKTK), one of six German Centers for Health Research, DKFZ maintains translational centers at seven university partnering sites. Combining excellent university hospitals with high-profile research at a Helmholtz Center is an important contribution to improving the chances of cancer patients. DKFZ is a member of the Helmholtz Association of National Research Centers, with ninety percent of its funding coming from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the remaining ten percent from the State of Baden-Württemberg.

Heidelberg University Hospital with its more than 40 specialized clinical departments is one of the leading medical centers in Europe.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of patients from all over Germany and many other countries come here to make use of our modern treatment facilities. The highest standards of medical care are guaranteed by our world-renowned professors, distinguished physicians and committed nursing staff. Heidelberg University Hospital is constantly developing new methods of diagnosis and treatment at the forefront of biomedical science for the benefit of all patients.

The Foundation was established by Hubert Burda and Christa Maar and carries the name of their son Felix Burda who died of colon cancer in 2001 at the age of 33. The Foundation sees its main task in creating public awareness for the potential benefits of the early detection of colorectal cancer and in motivating large numbers of people to undergo a screening examination.

The Network connects important opinion leaders and offers an independent stage for decision makers to foster exchange of strategies, bench marking projects and all kinds of improvement to increase participation in colorectal cancer screening.