Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare for patients with chronic diseases (ChroVID)
- Interdisciplinary analysis of potential changes in prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and healthcare access during the COVID-19 pandemic among approximately 2.5 million patients with diabetes, coronary heart disease, or cancer, including long-term effects
- Secondary analysis of claims and prescription data from the Bavarian Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KVB)
- Secondary analysis of data from German university hospitals
- Investigation of research questions in epidemiology, prevention, disease management, and health economics
- Project lead: Prof. Klug (TUM)
- Collaborators: Prof. Sundmacher (TUM), Prof. Donner-Banzhoff (University of Marburg)
- Funding: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation)
- Project status: ongoing
Publications:
Lehner CT, Anastasova I, Schauberger G, Eberl M, Schederecker F, Tauscher M, Gerlach R, Klug SJ. Increasing incidence of type 1 diabetes in children and adolescents from 2012 to 2021 in Germany: Trends before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. European Journal of Epidemiology. 2026. doi: 10.1007/s10654-026-01417-y
Lehner CT, Eberl M, Donnachie E, Tanaka LF, Schauberger G, Schederecker F, Himmler S, Sundmacher L, Klug SJ. Incidence trend of type 2 diabetes from 2012 to 2021 in Germany: an analysis of health claims data of 11 million statutorily insured people. Diabetologia. 2024; 67(6): 1040-50. doi: 10.1007/s00125-024-06113-8.
Schederecker F, Lehner CT, Eberl M, Schauberger G, Hansmann K, Donnachie E, Tauscher M, König A, Sundmacher L, Klug SJ. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on incidence of coronary heart disease in Bavaria, Germany: an analysis of health claims data. Heart. 2024; 111(2): 69-75. doi: 10.1136/heartjnl-2024-324181.
Baffour Awuah G, Tanaka LF, Eberl M, Donnachie E, Schauberger G, Lehner CT, Himmler S, Sundmacher L, Klug SJ. Analysis of health claims data on vaccination coverage in older adults in Bavaria, Germany: Influenza, pneumococcus and herpes zoster. Vaccine. 2024; 42(26): 126354. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.126354.
Machine learning methods for conditional logistic regression (ML-CLR)
- Conditional logistic regression is widely used for matched case-control studies and discrete choice data, but robust machine learning alternatives are lacking
- Development of decision trees, random forests, and boosting approaches adapted to complex data structures
- Lead: Dr. Schauberger (TUM)
- Collaborators: Dr. Mauerer (University of Málaga), PD Dr. Berger (University of Bonn), Prof. Mayr (Philipps-Universität Marburg), Prof. Klug (TUM)
- Funding: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation)
- Project status: ongoing
Publications:
Schauberger G, Klug SJ, Berger M. Random forests for the analysis of matched case-control studies. BMC Bioinformatics. 2024; 25(1): 253. doi: 10.1186/s12859-024-05877-5.
Schauberger G, Tanaka LF, Berger M. A tree-based modeling approach for matched case-control studies. Statistics in Medicine. 2023; 42(5): 676-92. doi: 10.1002/sim.9637.
HPV vaccination in Bavaria: trends, determinants, and effects on precancerous lesions, cervical cancer, and genital warts (BAY-HPV)
- Population-based secondary data analysis using claims data from the Bavarian Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KVB)
- Estimation of vaccination coverage and evaluation of effects on genital warts, precancerous lesions, and cervical cancer incidence
- Project lead: Prof. Klug (TUM)
- Collaborators: Dr. Tauscher, Fr. Fett (both KVB)
- Project status: ongoing
Tracking real-world adherence in cervical screening in Germany (TRACE-D)
- Population-based secondary data analysis using pseudonymised programme and routine data from organised cervical screening (oKFE) from 2021 to 2024
- Evaluation of follow-up procedures after abnormal findings and age-specific differences in screening and outcomes
- Project lead: Prof. Klug
- Project status: ongoing
Multicentre analysis of treatment differences in gynaecological cancers (COMPACT)
- Multicentre analysis of routine data from German university hospitals on the care of patients with breast, cervical, endometrial, and ovarian carcinoma
- Investigation of the frequency, type, and temporal development of different treatment modalities (e.g., surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormone therapy, and targeted therapies)
- Analysis of potential treatment inequalities by tumour stage, age, clinical status, and region, as well as comparison with existing S3 guidelines
- Project lead: Prof. Klug (TUM)
- Collaborators: German Research Data Portal for Health (FDPG) and various university hospitals
- Project status: ongoing
Systematic literature reviews and meta-analyses on worldwide HPV prevalence, screening participation, and cervical cancer incidence in older women (OLDI)
- Systematic literature reviews and meta-analyses to investigate worldwide HPV prevalence, participation rates in cervical cancer screening, and age-specific incidence of cervical cancer in women aged 50 years and older
- Evaluation and synthesis of data from population-based studies, screening programmes, and registries to identify international gaps in evidence
- The aim of the project is to improve recommendations for the care of older women with regard to the prevention and early detection of cervical cancer
- Project lead: Prof. Klug (TUM)
- Project status: ongoing
Publications:
Osmani V, Rossiter M, Hörner L, Nkurunziza T, Rank S, Tanaka LF, Klug SJ. Worldwide burden of cervical human papillomavirus (HPV) in women over 50 years with abnormal cytology: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Global Health. 2025; 10(4): e017309. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2024-017309.
Osmani V, Hörner L, Nkurunziza T, Rank S, Tanaka LF, Klug SJ. Global prevalence of cervical human papillomavirus in women aged 50 years and older with normal cytology: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Microbe. 2025; 6(1): 100955. doi: 10.1016/j.lanmic.2024.100955.
The impact of helminth infections on the effectiveness of vaccines worldwide (HelmSys)
- Project to investigate the influence of helminth infections and their treatment on the immunogenicity, efficacy, and effectiveness of various vaccines in children and adults worldwide
- Analysis of more than 9 000 studies (observational studies and randomised clinical trials) to identify population-specific effects of helminth-induced immunomodulation on vaccine responses
- Project lead: Prof. Prazeres da Costa (TUM)
- Collaborators: Prof. Klug (TUM), Dr. Esen (University Hospital Tübingen)
- Funding: Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) / German Alliance for Global Health Research (GLOHRA)
- Project status: ongoing
Publications:
Siebner AS, Habib M, Osmani V, Adegnika AA, Bogdan C, Breloer M, Elliott A, Fathi A, Hendrickx G, Nono JK, Lang R, Mayer JU, Mordmüller B, Ndungo E, Protzer U, Yazdanbakhsh M, Klug SJ, da Costa CP, Esen M. Interdisciplinary symposium on challenges and opportunities for vaccines: A comprehensive approach of current and future vaccine strategies to improve vaccine effectiveness in complex chronic infectious contexts. Vaccine: X. 2025; 23: 100615. doi: 10.1016/j.jvacx.2025.100615.
Case-control study on participation in cervical cancer screening and quality of cytology (TeQaZ)
- Population-based case-control study with 200 cases (women with incident cervical cancer) and 600 controls from Saxony and Rhineland-Palatinate as well as adjacent regions in Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Saarland, Thuringia, Brandenburg, and Saxony-Anhalt
- Investigation of the frequency of participation in cancer screening
- Evaluation of the quality of cytology
- Project lead: Prof. Klug (TUM)
- Collaborators: Gynaecological practices and cytological laboratories in the study region
- Funding: Federal Ministry of Health (BMG)
- Project status: analyses ongoing
Publications:
Tanaka LF, Schoffer O, Schriefer D, Schauberger G, Ikenberg H, Klug SJ. An audit of 1632 routinely collected cervical cancer screening smears from 398 women in Germany: Results from the TeQaZ Study. European Journal of Cancer. 2024; 201: 113915. doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2024.113915.
Tanaka LF, Schriefer D, Radde K, Schauberger G, Klug SJ. Impact of opportunistic screening on squamous cell and adenocarcinoma of the cervix in Germany: A population-based case-control study. PLoS One. 2021; 16(7): e0253801. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0253801
Cohort study of cervical cancer screening in Germany (MARZY)
- Randomised population-based cohort study with 10 000 participants from the region of Mainz and Mainz-Bingen
- Comparison of two invitation modes to increase participation in cancer screening
- Estimation of age- and type-specific HPV infections
- Investigation of the reasons for non-participation in cancer screening
- Project lead: Prof. Klug (TUM)
- Collaborators: Gynaecological practices in the study region
- Funding: German Cancer Aid
- Project status: analyses ongoing
Publications:
Liang LA, Tanaka LF, Radde K, Bussas U, Ikenberg H, Heideman DAM, Meijer C, Blettner M, Klug SJ. Population-based age- and type-specific prevalence of human papillomavirus among non-vaccinated women aged 30 years and above in Germany. BMC Infectious Diseases. 2024; 24(1): 1008. doi: 10.1186/s12879-024-09827-7.
Liang LA, Zeissig SR, Schauberger G, Merzweiler S, Radde K, Fischbeck S, Ikenberg H, Blettner M, Klug SJ. Colposcopy non-attendance following an abnormal cervical cancer screening result: a prospective population-based cohort study. BMC Women’s Health. 2022; 22(1): 285. doi: 10.1186/s12905-022-01851-6.
Liang LA, Einzmann T, Franzen A, Schwarzer K, Schauberger G, Schriefer D, Radde K, Zeissig SR, Ikenberg H, Meijer CJLM, Kirkpatrick CJ, Kölbl H, Blettner M, Klug SJ. Cervical Cancer Screening: Comparison of Conventional Pap Smear Test, Liquid-Based Cytology, and Human Papillomavirus Testing as Stand-alone or Cotesting Strategies. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. 2021; 30(3): 474-84; doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-20-1003.
Radde K, Gottschalk A, Bussas U, Schülein S, Schriefer D, Seifert U, Neumann A, Kaiser M, Blettner M, Klug SJ. Invitation to cervical cancer screening does increase participation in Germany: Results from the MARZY study. International Journal of Cancer. 2016; 139(5): 1018-30. doi: 10.1002/ijc.30146.
Risk-adapted prevention strategies for colorectal cancer (RaPS)
- Multicentre study on the prevention and early detection of colorectal cancer in individuals with a familial predisposition
- Design and implementation of risk-adapted colorectal cancer screening strategies
- Identification and evaluation of novel biomarkers for non-invasive risk stratification and early detection
- Project lead: Prof. Brenner (DKFZ)
- Collaborators: Prof. Klug (TUM), Prof. Mansmann (LMU), PD Dr. de Toni (LMU Hospital), Prof. Schwab (Robert Bosch Hospital Stuttgart)
- Funding: German Consortium for Translational Cancer Research (DKTK)
- Project status: analyses ongoing
Publications:
Hibbert J, Weigl K, Tikk K, Klug SJ, Schwab M, Igel S, Müller O, Pichler M, DeToni EN, Philipp A, Nagel J, Schmelz R, Brosch AM, Kolligs F, Hoffmeister M, Brenner H. Actual and Perceived Risk of Colorectal Neoplasia in First-Degree Relatives of Patients with Colorectal Cancer. Clinical and Translational Gastroenterology. 2025; 16(9): e00893. doi: 10.14309/ctg.0000000000000893.
Weigl K, Tikk K, Hoffmeister M, Hampe J, Igel S, Kolligs F, Klug SJ, Mansmann U, Müller O, Nagel JM, Pichler M, Schwab M, Schweigler D, Stephan A-M, De Toni EN, Brenner H. Prevalence of a First-Degree Relative With Colorectal Cancer and Uptake of Screening Among Persons 40 to 54 Years Old. Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2020; 18(11): 2535-43. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2019.11.044.
Weigl K, Tikk K, Hoffmeister M, De Toni EN, Hampe J, Kolligs F, Klug SJ, Mansmann U, Nasseh D, Radlovic J, Schwab M, Schweigler D, Stephan AM, Brenner H. A Web-based survey among adults aged 40-54 years was time effective and yielded stable response patterns. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology. 2019; 105: 10-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2018.08.021.
Tikk K, Weigl K, Hoffmeister M, Igel S, Schwab M, Hampe J, Klug SJ, Mansmann U, Kolligs F, Brenner H. Study protocol of the RaPS study: novel risk adapted prevention strategies for people with a family history of colorectal cancer. BMC Cancer. 2018; 18(1): 720. doi: 10.1186/s12885-018-4646-5.
Skin cancer-specific invitation strategies for informed screening participation (HELIOS)
- Mixed-methods study to investigate target group-specific invitation and communication strategies to improve participation in skin cancer screening in Germany
- Focus groups with men and women to collect barriers, motivating factors, and appropriate communication formats
- Population-based cross-sectional study to quantify subgroup-specific preferences and derive evidence-based recommendation systems
- Project lead: Prof. Berking (Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg)
- Collaborators: Prof. Klug (TUM)
- Funding: German Cancer Aid
- Project status: analyses ongoing
Publications:
Steeb T, Wessely A, Heppt MV, Erdmann M, Klug SJ, Berking C. Opportunities to inform German residents about the possibility of skin cancer screening and to inform stakeholders to take appropriate actions: A qualitative approach. Cancer Medicine. 2023; 12(9): 10829-39. doi: 10.1002/cam4.5717.
Steeb T, Heppt MV, Erdmann M, Wessely A, Klug SJ, Berking C. Increasing Participation Rates in Germany's Skin Cancer Screening Program (HELIOS): Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study. JMIR Research Protocols. 2021; 10(12): e31860. doi: 10.2196/31860.