Gemeinsam gegen Glioblastom Together against Glioblastoma A German initiative to bring together glioblastoma patients, caregivers and experts
Prof. Dr. Martin Glas, 1st Chairman of Deutsches
Prof. Dr. Frank Giordano, 2nd Chairman of
Jochen Kröhne, Media entrepreneur and
Innovationsbündnis Krebs & Gehirn e.V (DIK&G)
Deutsches Innovationsbündnis Krebs &
Managing Director of yeswecan!cer
and Head of the Neurooncology Center at the
Gehirn e.V (DIK&G) and Director of the Clinic
West German Cancer Center and Division of Clinical
for Radiotherapy and Radiooncology at the
Neurooncology, Dept. of Neurology, University
University Hospital Bonn, Germany
Hospital Essen, Germany
P
atients suffering from malignant brain tumours face a difficult road ahead: the diagnosis can be very overwhelming, and patients can quickly feel lost facing this lifealtering reality . This can be particularly daunting for those suffering from glioblastoma, an aggressive brain tumour affecting 24,000 new patients in Europe every year . Searching for information online often worsens the situation . Not only is it difficult to find reliable information, but the medical jargon adds another obstacle to patients’ ability to understand, especially those who have never heard of glioblastoma prior to receiving their diagnosis . On top of this, patients and caregivers reported the feeling of isolation – they often feel they are alone in fighting the illness . 58
Brain Tumour
The German campaign Gemeinsam gegen Glioblastom (Together against Glioblastoma) aims to address these two pressing issues by bringing patients, caregivers and renowned brain tumour specialists together . In digital gatherings and via social media, specialists provide verified information and answer patients’ and caregivers’ questions, thereby creating an engaged online community .
About Deutsches Innovationsbündnis Krebs & Gehirn e.V The campaign was founded in June 2020 by the Deutsches Innovationsbündnis Krebs & Gehirn e .V . (DIK&G; German Innovation Alliance for Cancer & Brain) and the patient advocacy group yeswecan!cer . The DIK&G is an association of physicians,
scientists, patients, caregivers, companies, people in public life, celebrities and influencers which raises awareness of brain tumour patients’ needs and aims to provide sustainable improvement for patients’ therapy and quality of life . With their mission “change for good”, the organisation advocates for more transparency and cooperation amongst all interest groups, including the healthcare industry, and aims to enable an open dialogue .
Gemeinsam gegen Glioblastom – providing answers Another important focus area for DIK&G is the digitization of medicine: how can patients and caregivers benefit from the increasing number of digital offers to better manage the disease together with their physicians? Gemeinsam