Special Topic | Breast Cancer Awareness Month October

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women. During Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, people around the world are informed about the disease, the situation of women and prevention options. In Berlin-Brandenburg, this topic is promoted comprehensively throughout the year – thanks to the high density of research and care facilities as well as research-based companies.

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Every year in October, one subject matter takes center stage worldwide: breast cancer. First launched in the 1980s, for 31 days every year since then, many countries around the world provide particularly in-depth information about the disease and research into it, draw attention to the situation of those affected and, above all, advise women to take preventive measures. The month of action is also known as “Pink October” – the color is intended to draw attention to the topic. Among other things, buildings are lit up in pink at night and celebrities wear pink ribbons.  

In Germany, too, there is increased awareness of the matter in October. According to the Center for Cancer Registry Data (ZfKD) at the Robert Koch Institute, breast cancer is by far the most common cancer among women in Germany, with around 74,500 new cases in 2022. “Based on current incidence rates, around one in eight women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime,” states the center. The good news: according to the ZfKD, mortality rates from breast cancer have been falling steadily since the end of the 1990s, in the recent past most sharply among women aged between 60 and 69. In addition to progress in therapy and research, this is also due to increased early detection examinations. 

In the Berlin-Brandenburg metropolitan region, there is a high density of players dedicated to the fight against breast cancer along the entire value chain – from research and development to therapy and care.  

 

Charité Women’s Clinic with several centers 

The Women’s Clinic at the Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, for example, covers the entire spectrum of gynecology and senology at two cooperating locations: At the Clinic for Gynecology with the connected Breast Center (CCM) under the leadership of Professor Jens-Uwe Blohmer and at the Clinic for Gynecology with the affiliated Center for Oncological Surgery (CVK), under the direction of Professor Jalid Sehouli. Numerous renowned experts work at both centers, including Professor Maria Margarete Karsten, who heads the Karsten-Speiser working group (AG) together with her colleague Professor Dorothee Speiser. The working group focuses on preventive research and the implementation, measurement and evaluation of patient-reported therapy results as well as the establishment of new registries for breast cancer entities that have not yet been researched. The working group is also working on improving risk communication.  

The Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCCC) is also part of the Charité and as such integrated as a tumor center. In addition to molecular tumor diagnostics, interdisciplinary therapies as well as prevention, early detection and rehabilitation with regional partners, numerous clinical studies with new drugs and treatment approaches are also carried out at the CCCC.  

Mass spectrometry for analysis and therapy? 

The MSTARS project stands for a precision medicine approach. It was jointly founded by the Charité and other Berlin research institutes – the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC), the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics (MPIMG). Bioinformaticians are integrating newly measured data into existing genomic and transcriptomic data sets in order to be able to indicate therapy resistance. The knowledge is then fed back to the clinics and can be used for therapy decisions.  

Vivantes Breast Center named most recommended clinic, awards for researchers  

The Vivantes Breast Centre Am Urban also specializes in breast cancer. The certified breast center with highly qualified specialists in gynecology works closely with experts in private practices. It is one of the largest of its kind in Germany and has been named the most recommended clinic for breast diseases in Berlin by practicing experts. Also, cancer researcher Professor Ulrike Stein at the MDC received an award for her work: the Metastasis Research Society honored her with the Women in Science Achievement Award in 2022. The head of the Translational Oncology of Solid Tumors research group at the Experimental and Clinical Research Center (ECRC) at the MDC received the award for her research into how malignant tumor cells spread in the body and form metastases.  

Mammography center trains medical and radiological specialists 

Mammography, which is extremely important for early detection, is also a field that is constantly being further developed in Berlin. To aid the progress the Berlin Mammography Reference Center trains medical and radiological specialists, monitors equipment and imaging systems and improves image quality, reporting and diagnostic clarification. The center is one of five such facilities that have been established as part of the Germany-wide mammography screening program.  

AI supports early diagnosis 

Artificial intelligence (AI) can increasingly help with the early diagnosis of breast cancer. However, a lot of data is needed to train AI to recognize diseases. The aim of the Hippo AI Foundation, founded by Bart de Witte in Berlin, is to make this data available to as many stakeholders as possible in an inclusive, open and globally largest database in the fight against breast cancer. Several well-known companies have now agreed to cooperate.  

In addition to the research institutions, there is a whole range of companies in Berlin-Brandenburg that are working on breast cancer. Merantix spin-off Vara, for example, is focusing on the use of AI in breast cancer screening and is developing a platform that supports the entire process – from making appointments to treatment.  

The RadioReport software from Berlin-based company Neo Q Quality in Imaging also promises an efficient and fast AI-based analysis of breast cancer screening. The program can deliver detailed and precise reports on the screenings in just under 100 seconds. Aura Health Technologies also relies on AI – but in the field of ultrasound technology. With AI-based analysis of data from ultrasound examinations, the company says it plans to “revolutionize surgical planning and navigation in the treatment of breast cancer”.  

Screening women near their home with mobile services called Screeningmobil 

The company Hologic, which manufactures diagnostic products, medical imaging systems and surgical products worldwide and has its German headquarters in Berlin, focuses on the entire field of gynecology. The subsidiary SOMATEX, which was acquired in 2021, develops medical products for breast cancer treatment. In order to make breast cancer screening as accessible as possible, Hologic has developed a Mammobile to bring breast cancer screening to people. Hologic mammography devices were installed on vehicles for this purpose. The screening trailers can be used to examine women close to their homes.  

Personalized cancer therapies 

The Berlin-based company ASC Oncology is working on the targeted and personalized treatment of cancer – and starts before the actual treatment. In the Reverse Clinical Engineering® test procedure, hundreds of drugs are tested in parallel for their effectiveness on the patient’s own tumor cells in the laboratory with the help of robots and treatment strategies are derived. Personalized medicine and diagnostics are also the goals of GILUPI in Potsdam. Instead of biopsies, the specially developed CellCollector relies on capturing cancer cells in a vein with a metallic wire and then examining them.  

The pharmaceutical manufacturer Stemline, which is now part of the Menarini Group, develops and markets novel oncological therapeutics – including several drugs that have been approved for breast cancer treatment.   

Apps help women with their therapy 

Once a diagnosis has been made, those affected also need help, encouragement and support beside the medication they receive. Several app developers want to help those affected. Such digital support is offered, for example, by the German subsidiary of the Icelandic company Sidekick, based in Berlin, which offers a 14-week program for breast cancer sufferers. The program can be used as an app and offers techniques for dealing with stress as well as tips for communicating with the treatment team. 

The Mika app, in turn, is a certified medical device and is aimed at all cancer patients. The digital oncology companion was developed by researchers at the Charité, among others, and reminds patients to take medication, gives individual medical advice and helps to document side effects.  

If you are thinking about starting a business in the fields of oncology and women’s health, the Berlin venture builder RoX offers its help. The team of experts there has specialized in these fields, among others, and provides support with contacts and expertise from organizational and portfolio development to market access and commercialization. The Brea app, for example, emerged from RoX. It aims to provide patients with scientifically sound support on a daily basis and provide them with diaries, contacts and information on self-care, for example. Founded in Berlin in 2020, the team behind Brea is supported by Berlin Partner, among others. In any case, Berlin Partner is always available for such pioneering start-up projects and is an address where competent support is provided to smoothening path to the market. 

 

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