International Collaborations

The field of oncology is evolving constantly. Therefore, the German Cancer Society is seeking to promote scientific exchange with other organizations and institutions on both the national and international level and is involved in various European initiatives.

EU Project: Joint Action to create National Comprehensive Cancer Centers and EU Networking (CraNE)

In October 2022, the Joint Action "Creation of National Comprehensive Cancer Centres and EU-Networking" (CraNE) started as a successor to iPAAC, which ended in 2021. The aim of CraNE is to establish an EU-wide network of recognized Comprehensive Cancer Centres (CCCs) and to establish Comprehensive Cancer Infrastructures (CCIs). These are intended to ensure that 90 percent of European cancer patients have access to high-quality, quality-assured oncological care. The German Cancer Society will lead the work package "Organization of High-Quality Cancer Care in Comprehensive Cancer CARRE Networks (CCCN)" in the project. Over the next two years, the working group with representatives from 35 member organizations from 21 member states will develop and pilot recommendations using the example of lung cancer centers to establish and expand access to quality-assured oncology care in all member states. Furthermore, the working group will define and establish interfaces between care and research or CCCs and CCCNs.

EU-IMI-Projekt: OPTIMA – Tackling Cancer through Real World Data and Artificial Intelligence

Every person with cancer should have access to the latest individualized treatments and innovative therapies. The European Optima project has taken up this vision - DKG is part of the consortium. The project's stated goal: "By strengthening shared decision-making based on dynamic computer-interpretable guidelines (CIGs), innovative broad data access, and AI-driven technologies and tools, we aim to revolutionize oncology care in Europe. 36 partner organizations across Europe will work toward this goal over the next five years.

EU project: Innovative Partnership for Action Against Cancer – Joint Action iPAAC

The EU project Innovative Partnership for Action Against Cancer Joint Action – iPAAC Joint Action for short – brings together 44 ministries of health and associated institutions from 24 European countries and is coordinated by the Slovenian National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ). The German Federal Ministry of Health and the German Cancer Society are responsible for work package 10 "Governance of Integrated and Comprehensive Cancer Care".

iPAAC is the successor project of CanCon. All information, documents and results are available on the iPAAC project website. The final conference of the Joint Action took place on 13/14 December 2021.

Annual European Round Table Meetings

First European Round Table Meeting (ERTM)

In collaboration with the Union of International Cancer Control, the German Cancer Society has launched a new series of the European Round Table Meeting. The first meeting was held in May 2014 in Berlin on the topic "Improving cancer care in Europe - Sharing best practice and learning which institutional structures are beneficial and why."

2nd European Round Table Meeting (ERTM)

The second European Round Table Meeting was held in the DKG-office in Berlin on 8 May 2015. Topic: "Improving structural development in oncology - Transformation of Theoretical healthcare standards and knowledge into a practical approach"

11/2015. Report in the "Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology": the abstract.

3rd European Round Table Meeting (ERTM)

The 3rd European Round Table Meeting was held in the DKG-office in Berlin on 17 June 2016. Topic: "Current developments in cancer care: including the patients perspective"

4th European Round Table Meeting 2017

The 4th European Round Table Meeting was held in the DKG-office in Berlin on 5 May 2017. Topic: "Quality control and improvement of cancer care – what is needed".

5th European Round Table Meeting 2018

The fifth European Round Table Meeting took place on 4 May 2018 at the DKG office in Berlin. Topic: "Research driving innovation - what are key factors for successful integration of translational science into oncology care concepts".

6th European Round Table Meeting 2019

The sixth European Round Table Meeting (ERTM) took place on 14 June 2019. The motto: "Improvement of cancer care in low to middle income countries by transfer of knowledge".

European Cancer Centres

Since summer 2016, it is possible for DKG-certified centers outside Germany to be certified as a "European Cancer Center". more

EU Project: Joint Action Rare Cancer

Since the end of 2015, Germany, represented by the German Cancer Society, is participating in the EU project Joint Action Rare Cancer. Prof. Peter Hohenberger, Mannheim, leads the working group.

Association of European Cancer Leagues (ECL)

The German Cancer Society represents since November 2015 the Federal Republic of Germany in the Association of European Cancer League (ECL), based in Brussels.

Union for International Cancer Control

The German Cancer Society represents the Federal Republic of Germany in international organizations, for example, since 1962 as a member of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), based in Geneva.

EU Project: CanCon (Cancer Control Joint Action)

The Certification Department of DKG has been working since 2013 as an Associated Partner in the Comprehensive Cancer Care (cancer care) working group of the EU project CanCon (Cancer Control Joint Action). This workgroup is one of nine work packages. Each working group has worked on specific topics such as prevention, early diagnosis, cancer care and long-term survival over the three years of the project.

Since February 2017 the CanCon-Guide has been published.

It is the core product of CanCon and corresponds approximately to a European cancer plan. It addresses health care workers, governments and policymakers, and suggests ways to fight cancer more effectively in the future and how differences in quality of care between member states can be reduced.

Please feel free to download the Executive Summary of the CanCon-Guides as PDF.

EU Project: Initiative on Breast Cancer (ECIBC)

The section for certification represents Germany in the European Commission Initiative on Breast Cancer (ECIBC). This expert panel aims to establish a European quality assurance system in cancer care. As a first step, the representatives of all Member States, are focusing on breast cancer patients. ECIBC was constituted in 2013 and presented the project to experts and members.

Guidelines International Network

The German Cancer Society has been a member of the Guidelines International Network (GIN) since 2008 and works in various working groups. GIN is a global network of organizations and people who create guidelines.