More information on cancer and clinical trials

Information on cancer

If you would like general information about cancer, diagnoses, treatments or where to turn with your questions, independent information providers can help. They provide personalised, free and confidential advice in clear language.

Cancer Information Service – The Cancer Information Service is a department of the German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ). You can reach medical doctors

• by telephone on 0800 420 30 40, daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• via a secure contact form or by email at krebsinformationsdienst-at-dkfz.de
• online at www.krebsinformationsdienst.de

INFONETZ KREBS – Infonetz Krebs is a counselling service provided by German Cancer Aid and the German Cancer Society. You can reach the counsellors

• by telephone on 0800 80 70 88 77, Mon–Fri from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• by email at krebshilfe-at-infonetz-krebs.de
• online at www.infonetz-krebs.de

Getting involved in clinical trials

As a patient, you play an important role in clinical research. For those interested, there is the opportunity to get actively involved and help shape the development of new trials.

Patient Expert Academy for Tumour Diseases (PEAK) – PEAK brings patients together with specialists. The aim: to design clinical trials in a patient-centred and practical manner. PEAK offers patients the opportunity to train as ‘patient experts’ in cancer medicine. This equips them with the necessary knowledge to actively participate in research and make an important contribution.

• Read more on the Patient Experts Academy for Tumour Diseases (PEAK) page

Find out more about cancer research

If you would like to find out more about how cancer research works and what new developments are taking place, podcasts and information resources offer an accessible insight.

Research podcast from the National Decade Against Cancer – The ‘Tatort Krebs’ podcast offers short, bite-sized episodes that introduce current research projects from the Decade and explain their significance for patients. They provide an insight into innovative research involving prevention, diagnosis, treatment and aftercare.

• You can access the podcast on the website of the same name as well as on the usual podcast platforms.

CCC WERA’s cancer research podcast – The Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC) of the leading oncology centres in Würzburg, Erlangen, Regensburg and Augsburg (WERA) offers a podcast featuring scientists. In the recorded discussions, you’ll gain insights into how and on which topics research is currently being conducted in the context of cancer.

• You can access the podcast via the CCC WERA website and on popular podcast platforms.

CCC WERA online course on cancer medicine – In a free and comprehensive online course, you will gain an overview of the incidence of cancer, the mechanisms of cancer development and options for cancer prevention. You will learn about diagnostics, the various treatment methods and the cancer medicine of tomorrow.

• You can access the online course free of charge via the CCC WERA website.

Further clinical trial databases

In addition to the NCT Study Finder, there are other registries where you can search for clinical trials. These registries collect information on trials being conducted at various institutions and clinics in Germany or other countries.

Please note: 

• The trial registries listed below are aimed at healthcare professionals. The information is written in technical language; some of it is in English.
• Not all trials can be found via these trial registries.
• The entries are not always up to date.
• This is a selection of common trial registries – it does not claim to be exhaustive.
• Some of the registers also publish information on clinical trials for conditions other than cancer.
   

German Clinical Trials Register

The German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS) provides information on ongoing trials in Germany. The DRKS is free of charge, publicly accessible and is operated by the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) as an agency under the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG).
 

Working Groups of the German Cancer Society

The working groups of the German Cancer Society provide an overview of ongoing trials on their respective websites.
 

Paediatric Oncology and Haematology Study Portal

The Society for Paediatric Oncology and Haematology (GPOH) maintains a trial portal on cancer in children and adolescents. In addition to Phase III/IV trials, it also provides an overview of early-phase I/II trials and accompanying studies.
 

EU Clinical Trials Register

The European Union’s Clinical Trials Register provides access to trials registered in the EU database EudraCT (European Union Drug Regulating Authorities Clinical Trials). The database is operated in English by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and is not cancer specific.
 

ClinicalTrials.gov

The English-language study database of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the largest and most comprehensive register in the world. Many specialist journals will only publish the scientific results of a study if it has been registered on ClinicalTrials.gov.
 

WHO Central Register

The search portal of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) is a so-called meta-registry. Here, multiple trial registries can be searched simultaneously for trials with a single search query. The website is in English. To find all studies involving German participants, you must select ‘Germany’ as the country under the menu items ‘Advanced Search’ and ‘Countries of recruitment’.