Prestigious Research Award for Young Cancer Researcher

His award-winning publication entitled “Colorectal cancer mortality prevented by use and attributable to nonuse of colonoscopy” was published in March 2011 as an “issue highlight” in the renowned U.S. journal Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. With this methodical and empirical publication, Christian Stock has made an important contribution to assessing the effect of colorectal cancer screening in the population. He was presented the Endoscopic Research Award on September 16, 2011 at the 66th DGVS Annual Conference in Leipzig.

Colonoscopy (endoscopic examination of the entire large bowel) and removal of existing polyps at the same time play a central role in the early detection and prevention of colorectal cancer. Up to now, however, the public health benefit of this examination had not yet been quantified. In DKFZ’s Division of Clinical Epidemiology and Aging Research, Christian Stock evaluated data from cancer registers and health surveys in order to assess the effect and potential of colonoscopy in relation to the mortality rate of colorectal cancer. The basis of his analysis was the year 2005. In this year, 49,700 U.S. citizens aged 50 and older died of colorectal cancer. Stock was able to show that in the same year up to 11,700 deaths from colorectal cancer had already been prevented in this population group as a result of previous colonoscopy screening examinations. At the same time, his analysis also revealed that almost twice as many deaths, namely 22,100, could have been avoided if compliance with screening examinations had been population-wide. This result documents the relevance and potential of colorectal cancer screening programs. In Germany, this examination is covered by statutory health insurance funds as a primary screening examination for people starting from age 55.

“Being awarded such a prestigious research prize while still in his PhD phase confirms the great talent of this young researcher,” says Stock’s PhD supervisor, Professor Hermann Brenner, head of the Division of Clinical Epidemiology and Aging Research at DKFZ.

“For me, this distinction is a great success and also a motivation to keep on working in the area of colorectal cancer prevention,” says Christian Stock, pleased about the award. Therefore, the young researcher will probably use the prize money for further healthcare research projects.

Award-winner Christian Stock, aged 33, studied business administration focusing on the healthcare sector in Osnabrück, Germany, and health sciences in York, U.K. From 2008 until June 2011, he was a PhD student at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and a Klaus Tschira Foundation scholar in the Network Aging Research (NAR) of Heidelberg University. He currently is a research assistant in the Division of Clinical Epidemiology and Aging Research at DKFZ. The award-winning publication is part of his PhD thesis, in which he studied compliance with colonoscopy screening programs in the general population.

Christian Stock, Amy B. Knudsen, Iris Landsdorp-Vogelaar, Ulrike Haug, Hermann Brenner: Colorectal cancer mortality prevented by use and attributable to nonuse of colonoscopy. Gastrointestinal Endoscopy - March 2011, DOI: 10.1016/j.gie.2010.12.005

A picture of Christian Stock is available on the Internet at: www.dkfz.de/de/presse/pressemitteilungen/2011/images/stock-christian.jpg