"Living actively with cancer" - New program supports cancer patients with tips on a healthy lifestyle

Joint press release by the National Center for Tumor Diseases Dresden and the BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg.

What can patients do themselves during or after cancer to improve their health and quality of life? Interested parties can now find scientifically based answers to this question in the free brochure "Active Living with Cancer" and on the website www.aktivmitkrebs.de. The focus is on the topics of exercise, nutrition, not smoking and sun protection. An individual test and numerous practical tips help with the selection of relevant contents and with their conversion in the everyday life. German Cancer Aid is funding the project with 110,000 euros. The "Active Living with Cancer" information service was developed by the National Center for Tumor Diseases Dresden (NCT/UCC) and the Department of Health Sciences at the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg (BTU).

The National Center for Tumor Diseases Dresden (NCT/UCC) is a joint institution of the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden, the Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus of TU Dresden and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR).

In Germany, about four million people live with or after surviving cancer. Even years after diagnosis, they often suffer from physical, psychological and social consequences of their disease. A healthy lifestyle can mitigate these consequences. In the "Active Living with Cancer" program, those affected can take a short self-test to find out what is particularly important for them personally in the areas of exercise, nutrition, not smoking and sun protection. For each topic, there are up-to-date, scientifically based recommendations for action. "Numerous tips show how cancer sufferers can implement the recommendations in everyday life and overcome hurdles. It was important to us to provide those affected with a support package that is easy to implement. It is based on current scientific findings and our many years of experience in communicating the relevant content to those affected," says Dr. Friederike Stölzel, co-director of the Prevention Center of the National Center for Tumor Diseases Dresden (NCT/UCC).

In addition, expert videos provide comprehensive background information and concrete instructions. Information on contacts, offers close to home, on the reimbursement of courses by health insurers or on motivational strategies help to implement the recommendations in everyday life. Members of the NCT/UCC Patient Advisory Board were also involved in the creation of the materials: "We took a close look at the information from the perspective of those affected: Are the texts really understandable, does the information help you in everyday life? We are pleased with this good orientation aid," says Wolfgang Krämer from the Patient Advisory Board.

The program is aimed in particular at sufferers in regions where there are few courses and advice on a healthy lifestyle for cancer patients and former patients. "Many people now know that a healthy lifestyle can reduce the risk of numerous diseases. However, the positive effects of, for example, more exercise or a balanced diet, especially during and after cancer, are less well known. We are pleased to be able to provide those affected with a well-founded guidebook from now on," explains Prof. Dr. Jacob Spallek from the Department of Health Sciences at the Brandenburg University of Technology in Senftenberg.

Brochure:

- The brochure "Active Living with Cancer" comprises 86 pages and includes an extensive bibliography with numerous scientific references. QR codes guide to expert videos.

- Interested parties, practices and clinics can order the brochure "Active living with cancer" free of charge at: https://t1p.de/aktiv-leben-mit-krebs.

Press contact:

Dr. Anna Kraft
National Center for Tumor Diseases Dresden (NCT/UCC)
Press and Public Relations
Tel: +49 (0)351 458-5548
E-mail: anna.kraft@nct-dresden.de
www.nct-dresden.de

Ilka Seer
Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg
Press Officer
Phone: +49 (0) 355 69-3612
E-mail: ilka.seer@b-tu.de
www.b-tu.de

Dr. Sibylle Kohlstädt
German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ)
Strategic Communications and Public Relations
Tel.: +49 (0)6221 42-2854
E-mail: s.kohlstaedt@dkfz.de
www.dkfz.de

Stephan Wiegand
Public Relations & Marketing Department
Carl Gustav Carus Medical Faculty of Dresden University of Technology
Tel.: +49 (0) 351 458-19389
E-mail: stephan.wiegand@tu-dresden.de
www.tu-dresden.de/med

Holger Ostermeyer
University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden
Press Office
Tel.: +49 (0)351 458 41 62
E-Mail: Pressestelle@uniklinikum-dresden.de
www.uniklinikum-dresden.de

Simon Schmitt
Communication and Media | Management and Press Spokesman
Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf
E-Mail: s.schmitt@hzdr.de
Tel.: +49 351 260-3400
www.hzdr.de

National Center for Tumor Diseases Dresden (NCT/UCC)
The National Center for Tumor Diseases Dresden (NCT/UCC) is a joint institution of the German Cancer Research Center, the Carl Gustav Carus Faculty of Medicine at TU Dresden, the Carl Gustav Carus University Hospital Dresden and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR).
The NCT has made it its duty to closely link research and patient care wherever possible. That is why cancer patients at the NCT sites can be treated based on the latest research results. At the same time, the proximity of laboratory and clinic provides researchers with important impulses for their practice-oriented research. The NCT sites share the common goal of developing the NCT into a top international center for patient-oriented cancer research. The Dresden center draws on the structures of the University Cancer Center Dresden (UCC), which was founded in 2003 as one of the first Comprehensive Cancer Centers (CCC) in Germany. Since 2007, the UCC has been honored by the German Cancer Aid e.V. (DKH) as a "Top Oncological Center" on a continuous basis.

Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg (BTU)
The BTU is a technical university that uses scientific expertise to develop practical solutions for shaping the major issues of the future and transformation processes worldwide. Interdisciplinary clusters and close cooperation with partners in science and industry enable profiling, international connectivity and successful projects in meeting these challenges. The four profile lines are: - Global Change and Transformation Processes - Energy Transition and Decarbonization - Health and Life Sciences - Artificial Intelligence and Sensor Technology.

The BTU is represented at three locations (Cottbus Central Campus, Cottbus-Sachsendorf Campus and Senftenberg Campus) and is structured in six faculties. In addition, it is one of the sponsoring universities of the Faculty of Health Sciences as part of the initiative Gesundheitscampus Brandenburg.

German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ)
The German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) with its more than 3,000 employees is the largest biomedical research institution in Germany. More than 1,300 scientists at the DKFZ investigate how cancer develops, identify cancer risk factors and search for new strategies to prevent people from developing cancer. They are developing new methods to diagnose tumors more precisely and treat cancer patients more successfully. The DKFZ's Cancer Information Service (KID) provides patients, interested citizens and experts with individual answers to all questions on cancer.
Jointly with partners from the university hospitals, the DKFZ operates the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) in Heidelberg and Dresden, and the Hopp Children's Cancer Center KiTZ in Heidelberg. In the German Consortium for Translational Cancer Research (DKTK), one of the six German Centers for Health Research, the DKFZ maintains translational centers at seven university partner locations. NCT and DKTK sites combine excellent university medicine with the high-profile research of the DKFZ. They contribute to the endeavor of transferring promising approaches from cancer research to the clinic and thus improving the chances of cancer patients.
The DKFZ is 90 percent financed by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and 10 percent by the state of Baden-Württemberg. The DKFZ is a member of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers.

University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden
The University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden offers medical care at the highest level of care. As a full-service hospital, it covers the entire spectrum of modern medicine. The University Hospital combines 20 clinics and outpatient departments, four institutes and ten interdisciplinary centers that collaborate closely with the clinical and theoretical institutes of the Faculty of Medicine.
With 1,295 beds and 160 places for day-care treatment, the Dresden University Hospital is the largest hospital in the city and also the only full-service hospital in eastern Saxony. Around 860 doctors cover the entire spectrum of modern medicine. 1,860 nurses and caregivers ensure the patients' well-being. The medical care of patients suffering from cancer, metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases is an important focus of treatment at the University Hospital.
Germany's largest hospital comparison by the news magazine "Focus" confirms that the University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden provides an excellent quality of treatment. That is why Dresden's university medicine comes second in the Germany-wide ranking.

Carl Gustav Carus Faculty of Medicine at Technische Universität Dresden
The Dresden University Medicine, consisting of the Carl Gustav Carus Faculty of Medicine and the university hospital of the same name, has specialized in research in the fields of oncology, metabolic as well as neurological and psychiatric diseases. Within these focal areas, the topics of degeneration and regeneration, imaging and technology development, immunology and inflammation, as well as prevention and health care research are of particular interest. International exchange is a prerequisite for top-level research - the Dresden University Medical Center embraces this concept with employees from 73 nations and numerous collaborations with researchers and teams from all over the world.

Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR)
The Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) conducts research in the fields of energy, health and matter. It focuses on the following questions:
•    How can energy and resources be used in an efficient, safe and sustainable way?
•    How can cancer be better visualized, characterized and effectively treated?
•    How do matter and materials react under the influence of strong fields and in smallest dimensions?
To answer these scientific questions, the HZDR operates large infrastructures that are also used by external measurement guests: Ion Beam Center, High Field Magnetic Laboratory Dresden and ELBE Center for High Power Radiation Sources.
The HZDR is a member of the Helmholtz Association, has five sites (Dresden, Freiberg, Grenoble, Leipzig, Schenefeld near Hamburg) and employs almost 1,200 people - about 500 of whom are researchers including 170 PhD students.