Posted on
2022-05-24
Medical duo from Lübeck and Tübingen receives funding from German cancer aid for multicenter study of retinal lymphoma
Tumors in the eye represent a life-limiting and life-threatening diagnosis. Malignant lymphoma of the interior of the eye is a rare form of eye cancer that is difficult to diagnose. Under the direction of PD Dr. Vinodh Kakkassery, senior physician at the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Lübeck and University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Lübeck Campus, and Prof. Dr. Falko Fend, pathologist at Tübingen University Hospital, a multicenter study to improve the diagnosis of retinal lymphoma will be launched this summer. The six-year study is being funded by Deutsche Krebshilfe with around 860,000€.
The DECODE VRL study is an initiative by Vinodh Kakkassery and Falko Fend, which aims to implement and clinically validate an innovative molecular biological diagnosis for vitreoretinal lymphoma (VRL) developed in Tübingen in a multi-center approach.
Difficult diagnosis
Malignant lymphomas of the interior of the eye are very rare tumours that represent a major challenge for clinical and pathological diagnosis. Because of the ambiguous clinical symptoms of vitreous and retinal lymphoma, also known as vitreoretinal lymphoma or masquerade syndrome, diagnosis is often delayed. As a result, treatment with this disease is often delayed. Even after surgery involving removal of samples from the eye, the diagnosis is missed in up to a third of cases using the usual analytical methods, which can lead to a significant reduction in the life expectancy of those affected.
Multicenter approach
Due to the rarity of the disease, the broadest possible involvement of surgical centers for ophthalmology is of central importance for the success of the study. Ten other sample-collecting eye clinics are therefore participating in the study. The study team also receives support from Prof. Dr. Gerald Illerhaus from the CNS lymphoma study group of the German Lymphoma Alliance (GLA) and from Prof. Dr. Andreas Stahl from the research association of retinal surgery clinics in Germany Retina.net.
Vinodh Kakkassery, one of the few ophthalmologists ever who was able to obtain support from German Cancer Aid, sees clear clinical benefits: “There is a double concern for patients. Cancer threatens your own life and, in addition, your vision. Better diagnosis means earlier treatment that is good for life, vision and soul. ”
As a pathologist, his Tübingen colleague Falko Fend is certain: “Expanding knowledge in this area of illness is urgently needed. When it comes to diagnostic reliability, especially across the board, we are far from reaching the maximum range, so the DECODE VRL study is only to be welcomed. Bringing together experts from various medical disciplines for the study is an absolute added value.”
Latest technology for improved diagnostics
With the patient-centered DECODE VRL study, the study team wants, on the one hand, to use the latest molecular biological techniques as broadly as possible and, on the other hand, to validate their value compared to established diagnostics through clinical follow-up, as prospective studies are missing due to the rarity of the disease.
Contact person:
PD Dr. med. Vinodh Kakkassery
Department of Ophthalmology
University of Lübeck and
University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein (Lübeck Campus)
vinodh.kakkassery (at) uni-Lübeck (dot) en
Professor Dr. Falko Fend
Department of Pathology and Neuropathology
Tübingen University Hospital
falko.fend (at) med.uni-tuebingen (dot) de
