The changes in the signalling of cancer cells and tumour-specific gene expression have been increasingly elucidated in recent decades and used for the assessment of cancer risk, cancer prevention, cancer diagnosis and cancer therapy. The projects in the doctoral programme "Clinical and Experimental Oncology" increasingly cover the translational and clinical aspects of cancer research and use innovative approaches to focus on the investigation of risk assessment, cancer prevention, cancer detection and cancer treatment. New diagnostic and therapeutic approaches are evaluated in clinical trials. The PhD programme "Clinical and Experimental Oncology" is closely linked to the PhD programme Malignant Diseases through joint seminars and journal clubs and includes additional practical courses.
Students on the "Clinical and Experimental Oncology" doctoral programme investigate the cellular mechanisms of carcinogenic and cancer-preventing substances as well as newly developed cancer therapeutics. Diagnostic procedures, new therapies and prevention strategies are developed in translational research projects. In intervention studies and phase I clinical trials, the effects of prevention strategies are assessed and the suitability of diagnostic biomarkers evaluated. New therapeutics and diagnostic procedures are evaluated in clinical trials. In contrast to the PhD programme "Malignant Diseases", the PhD programme "Clinical and Experimental Oncology" is more applied and clinically oriented.