Stefan Fröhling and Markus Wartenberg in “O-Ton Onkologie”

It is a cultural change for Germany: patient involvement in research, a close partnership between doctors and patients, is now on the rise, not least thanks to the One NCT. Stefan Fröhling, Managing Director of the NCT Heidelberg and Head of the Department of Translational Medical Oncology at the DKFZ German Cancer Research Center, and Markus Wartenberg, Spokesman of the NCT Patient Research Council and Deputy Chairman of the German Sarcoma Foundation, explain how this “customer orientation” works at the National Center for Tumor Diseases in Medical Tribune Germany's “O-Ton Onkologie”.

What makes a good partnership between researchers and patient representatives? How can patients be involved in the research process as equal partners? The cultural change can also be seen in the constantly growing community of patients, visible at the Patient Expert Conference “Patients as partners in cancer research”, for example. The scientists and doctors are also breaking new ground here, it is a completely new experience, says Stefan Fröhling.

“Patients have a unique perspective,” says Markus Wartenberg, describing the basic idea of patient involvement. “We need to use this patient expertise much earlier in order to involve them in the research process.” This would enable better research projects, better studies and hopefully more patient-relevant results. Fröhling confirms this and cites clinical studies and patient recruitment as examples of patient involvement: “Our work gets better when we work together with patients.”

Wartenberg sums up: “Patient participation at the NCT is lived from the very first minute. We meet as partners and at eye level, which is very important.”

Click here for the podcast O-Ton Oncology