GERMANY
Two implementation sites will be available in Germany: The German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ), in close partnership with the German Network for Tobacco Free Healthcare Services (DNRfK), and the Hannover Medical School (MHH).
DKFZ is a public, non-profit comprehensive research centre and the largest biomedical research institute in Germany. Its Unit Cancer Prevention (UCP) is devoted to implementing evidence-based programmes in tobacco, alcohol, and HPV prevention. Currently, the DKFZ is setting up, in collaboration with the German Cancer Aid, the National Cancer Prevention Centre, which will combine high-level prevention research, education and training, as well as public relations and policy advice and implement them nationwide via outreach programs and networking.118 119 The implementation sites for PIECES will include the UCP, the Prevention Outpatient Clinic of the National Cancer Prevention Centre, and the German Network for Tobacco Free Healthcare Services (12. DNRfK)120, which is implementing smoking cessation and health education interventions in >100 hospitals all over Germany.121
Cancer-related risk factors in their portfolio include: (a) tobacco control: UCP was recently involved in the EUREST-Plus project (Grant agreement 681109), aimed to monitor and evaluate the impact of the European Tobacco Product Directive within the context of the ratification of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control at an EU level, the European TackSHS project, aimed to evaluate the impact of tobacco control policies, the awareness raising campaign for smoke-free cars of the Federal Government’s Drug and Addiction Commissioner, and it is currently involved in a smoking cessation campaign of the Federal Government’s Drug and Addiction Commissioner. Since several years, UCP is involved in implementing the smoking cessation campaign Stoptober within DKFZ122,123; (b) Prevention Outpatient Clinic: individualized risk profiling and referral to prevention programmes for multiple potential interventions on tobacco, alcohol and HPV.
The Hannover Medical School (MHH) will coordinate a number of sites in collaboration with local, regional and national cooperation partners. In PIECES, 3 implementation cohorts are proposed: (1) workers of Volkswagen AG in all 63 European plants (15 countries; estimated target population 320.000 individuals); (2) local network of private general practitioners in the Hannover area with MHH partnership for academic training of students and residents, following an estimated 30,000 individuals; (3) national network of 800 gastroenterologists in private practice, involved in preventive medicine activities, with 400,000 patients screened yearly.
Cancer-related risk factors in their portfolio include an exercise-focused preventive intervention using telemonitoring and app systems at the main Volkswagen factory. The interventions are personalized based on AI analyzed risk profile, medical history, performance and interests of the participant with standardized questionnaires.