Spotlight - Ronckers Group
Einzelzell-Transkriptomanalysen bieten Einblicke in die normale Entwicklung des sympathischen Systems
In recent decades, the survival rates for children with cancer have improved significantly. Today, approximately 80 to 85 percent of affected children survive long-term. These advances, achieved largely through the introduction of combination chemotherapy regimens and the integration of radiation therapy into multimodal treatment approaches, have led to a rapidly growing number of long-term survivors. As a result, the long-term consequences of cancer and its treatment are increasingly becoming the focus of research. Cancer treatment in childhood occurs during critical phases of physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development and can therefore have long-term effects on health and quality of life. Many late effects are closely linked to specific therapeutic exposures. Since pediatric cancers encompass a broad spectrum of neoplastic diseases with age-dependent incidence patterns and multimodal treatment approaches, the patterns of late effects also vary in part depending on the specific cancer type.
The department’s goal is to identify treatment-related long-term effects, understand their determinants, and develop evidence-based strategies for prevention, early detection, and follow-up care. In the long term, our work aims to improve health outcomes throughout the entire lifespan of survivors by translating epidemiological evidence into risk-stratified follow-up care protocols. The department conducts national and international observational studies based on population-based registry data and combines retrospective and prospective research approaches. In doing so, clinical, epidemiological, and molecular data are integrated to better understand risk factors for late effects and to develop evidence-based follow-up strategies. Our work also includes the development and refinement of data infrastructures and registries that enable long-term population-based investigation of survivorship outcomes and contribute to the improvement of follow-up care structures.
A particular focus is placed on late somatic effects, including secondary tumors, as well as on the long-term health consequences of historical and modern medical applications of ionizing radiation. In addition, the department is involved in the development and scientific evaluation of risk-adapted follow-up care concepts for cancer survivors. Our work is guided by international initiatives to harmonize guidelines for long-term follow-up care and is conducted in close collaboration with research networks, clinical partners, and patient advocates.
