On World Cancer Day: Clinical Trials Are an Obstacle Course – and Essential for Progress in Cancer Medicine

“Clinical trials are the engine of medical progress,” says Professor Michael Baumann, Chairman of the Management Board of DKFZ and Chair of the NCT Steering Committee. “If innovations are to reach patients, studies must become faster and easier to implement.”

Professor Michael Hallek, also a member of the NCT Steering Committee, adds: “Compared with ten other Western industrialized nations, Germany ranks last in the number of clinical trials conducted per capita*. Structures such as the NCT are necessary to pool efforts nationwide and speed up implementation.”

This is exactly where the NCT comes in. Expanded in 2023, the NCT now operates six sites and provides a strong infrastructure for planning and conducting oncological clinical trials. It also improves access for people across Germany—regardless of education level, place of residence, or social background.

The expansion of the NCT is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) as part of the National Decade Against Cancer. DKFZ acts as the coordinating institution at all NCT sites and, together with 27 partner organizations—including 11 university hospitals—creates the structural framework for strong clinical cancer research across Germany.

A Marathon with Many Hurdles

Planning and conducting clinical trials is a lengthy process. “This is not a sprint; it’s a marathon with many hurdles,” says Julia Ritzerfeld, Head of the Clinical Trial Office at DKFZ. These hurdles include extensive bureaucratic and legal requirements as well as difficult funding conditions—all while complying with international, national, and federal regulations. This demands stamina: “Clinical trials require researchers with persistence and a high tolerance for frustration.”

Clinical Research from a Physician’s Perspective

The importance of reliable structures is also emphasized by Mirco Friedrich, Head of the Junior Research Group for Hematology and Immune Engineering at DKFZ and Principal Investigator of an NCT bridge trial (launched before the NCT expansion and now conducted across multiple sites). “Clinical trials are complex and expensive. On top of that, regulatory requirements in Germany are particularly demanding compared with the United States and neighboring European countries.” Structures such as the NCT significantly simplify the planning, coordination, and execution of clinical trials, the physician and scientist explains.

The Patient Perspective: Between Hope and Reservations

The relevance of clinical trials for those affected is underscored by Max Heller from the NCT West Patient Research Council. “Participating in a clinical trial can help patients move from a sense of powerlessness back to making their own decisions,” says Heller. At the same time, many patients have reservations about trial participation, often rooted in outdated views of cancer and medical research.

In addition, lengthy and hard-to-understand data protection information can be discouraging. Clinical trials therefore need stronger political prioritization: “They need emergency clearance—so lifesaving research does not get stuck at red lights such as data protection.”

Clinical Trials Drive Progress

On World Cancer Day, DKFZ and NCT call for continued efforts to make Germany a more attractive location for clinical trials. This requires consistent reduction of bureaucracy, further streamlining of regulatory requirements, and the development of efficient clinical infrastructures. Progress in medicine must reach the place where it matters most—patients.

* measured by number of clinical trials per capita

Source: vfa and Kearney study “Pharma-Innovationsstandort Deutschland”, 2023.
https://www.vfa.de/download/vfa-kearney-pharma-innovationsstandort-deutschland.pdf