News

published at: 25.02.2026

Better treatment for blood cancer: study starts in Dresden and Kiel

Better treatment for blood cancer: study starts in Dresden and KielAt the beginning of 2026, RELEVANT (ETAL-5), currently Germany’s largest study on allogeneic stem cell transplantation for patients suffering from Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) or Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), was launched. For many of these diseases, stem cell transplantation is currently the only curative treatment option. The study, led by researchers from Dresden and Kiel, aims to improve treatment options and long-term survival for older patients or patients with preexisting comorbidities.

published at: 04.03.2026

High-quality care: NCT/UCC Dresden certified as a nutritional medicine center

Nutrition is an essential part of cancer treatment, as it has a significant influence on the course of the disease, the tolerability of the therapy and the quality of life. Structured, nutritional therapy by qualified specialists helps to prevent malnutrition, can improve the patients’ response to therapies, reduce side effects, strengthen the immune system and improve their general well-being.

published at: 12.02.2026

International Childhood Cancer Day on February 15: New care models and research for children with cancer: Dresden launches pioneering projects in Saxony

On the occasion of International Childhood Cancer Day (ICCD) on February 15, the Pediatric Oncology Center at the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT/UCC) Dresden is drawing attention to two new, pioneering care projects that have been launched in Saxony. The goal is to enable children and adolescents with cancer, as well as their families, to access to the best possible university-level care regardless of where they live.

published at: 04.02.2026

World Cancer Day on February 4: Dresden University Medicine sets benchmarks in the treatment of rare brain tumors

World Cancer Day on February 4 provides an opportunity to focus on rare tumor diseases such as primary brain tumors. Owing to their location, these tumors pose particular challenges for patients, their families, and the healthcare system. Diagnosis is complex and treatment highly specialized, as as these tumors arise in close proximity to the brain, cranial nerves, sensory organs, and major central blood vessels. In Germany, there are only 20 to 25 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants each year; nevertheless, the functional impact of primary brain tumors can be severe.

published at: 22.12.2025

Dresden study uncovers new key mechanism in cancer cells

A study by the Mildred Scheel Early Career Center group led by Dr. Mohamed Elgendy at the TUD Faculty of Medicine provides fundamental insights into cancer biology. Published in the renowned journal Nature Communications, the study shows for the first time that the protein MCL1 not only inhibits programmed cell death, but also plays a central role in tumor metabolism.

published at: 15.12.2025

NCT/UCC Dresden: Ten years of cutting-edge research for better cancer therapies and individualized patient care

The National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT/UCC) Dresden has been combining scientific innovation and modern patient care under one roof for the last ten years. Experts from the fields of medicine, research and technology cooperate closely to significantly improve the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Thanks to strong ties with the University Cancer Center (UCC), founded in 2003, and the interplay of clinical expertise, high-tech infrastructure and interdisciplinary research, NCT/UCC represents a center in Dresden that has set high standards throughout Germany.

published at: 22.10.2025

Safe use of large language models in oncology: Researchers from EKFZ for Digital Health contribute to new international guidelines

Under the leadership of Prof. Jakob N. Kather, Professor of Clinical Artificial Intelligence at EKFZ for Digital Health, TUD, and Dresden University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus (NCT/UCC), an international expert panel has developed guidelines for the safe use of large language models (LLMs) in oncology. Prof. Stephen Gilbert and Dr. med. Isabella Wiest, EKFZ for Digital Health, also contributed their expertise. The initiative was convened under the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) as part of its “Real World Data & Digital Health Task Force”. The new framework aims to help patients, clinicians and institutions to adopt AI language tools responsibly.

published at: 04.07.2025

Understandable Scientific Figures: Helena Jambor Publishes Checklist for Researchers

Dr. Helena Jambor, a molecular biologist at the University of Applied Sciences of the Grisons in Chur and the Faculty of Medicine at TU Dresden with the NCT/UCC Dresden, has now developed a practice-oriented checklist to help researchers design clear and effective scientific figures. The accompanying paper and the checklist were recently published in the journal Nature Cell Biology.

published at: 10.06.2025

Long-term survival after cancer: German Cancer Aid funds Dresden clinical trial on late effects of sarcomas with EUR 900,000

So far, there is little scientific knowledge about the life situation of long-term sarcoma survivors. Researchers under the leadership of the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT/UCC) Dresden want to close this gap by conducting the “PROSa+” clinical trial and by systematically recording the needs and risks of this patient group.

published at: 06.05.2025

Help for families with rare diseases: Researchers at Dresden University Medicine use new method for human-genetic diagnosis

An interdisciplinary research group at the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT/UCC) Dresden, a joint institution of the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), the Faculty of Medicine at TUD, University Hospital Dresden, and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, has been able to make a human genetic diagnosis for a family using an innovative sequencing method. The study “Long-read genome and RNA sequencing resolve a pathogenic intronic germline LINE-1 insertion in APC” by Dresden University Medical Center has now been published in npj Genomic Medicine.

published at: 12.03.2025

Personalized therapies for leukemia: Clinical trial from Dresden and Kiel investigates innovative medication after stem cell transplantation

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive form of blood cancer that carries a high risk of relapse even after stem cell transplantation. The PIVOT clinical trial, which has now been launched by scientists from Dresden and Kiel, is investigating whether the drug Ivosidenib can help to reduce the risk of relapse and improve patients' chances of survival.

published at: 03.02.2025

World Cancer Day on February 4: From shadow to light

With the exhibition "From Shadow to Light", six master students from the Dresden University of Fine Arts (HfBK Dresden) approached these questions in 2023/24. After the works by Eric Beier, Noemi Durighello, Hanne Lange, Michael Merkel, Julia Schmelzer and Tillmann Ziola have been on display at the NCT/UCC Dresden for a year, the exhibition will go on tour from February 4. It will initially be on display for almost four weeks at Dresden's Altmarkt-Galerie.

published at: 18.12.2024

RATIONALE focuses on rare cancers: First multi-site study by the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT)

Recruitment for RATIONALE will begin at the NCT in 2025. The study is investigating the benefits of molecularly controlled treatment for patients with rare cancers. The researchers want to prove that the progression-free survival of patients with advanced rare cancers can be doubled compared to standard therapy. For the first time, all six NCT sites are pooling their joint expertise in a study involving patients throughout Germany.