Personalized counseling on cancer prevention at the National Cancer Prevention Center's Prevention clinic: Bridging the gap between research, application, and individual implementation

The prevention of non-communicable diseases is becoming an increasingly important focus of modern health systems. In addition to population-based strategies, approaches that consider genetic, biological, and lifestyle-related risk factors are becoming important for individualized prevention. The National Cancer Prevention Center (NCPC) is being established in Germany through a long-term strategic partnership between the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the German Cancer Aid. The NCPC brings together all key components of cancer prevention under one roof: from fundamental research and prevention trials to evidence-based counseling for the public and training for prevention specialists and multipliers. A central element is the Prevention Outpatient Clinic (POC), a unique model facility in Germany that maximizes the potential of cancer prevention and makes it accessible to everyone. In the POC, risk profiles are systematically created based on identified cancer risk factors, including family history, genetic predispositions, lifestyle factors, previous illnesses, and medication use. With these risk profiles, we create individualized prevention pathways that link health promotion counseling with recommendations for early detection and lifestyle changes. There is a strong focus on health literacy and sustainable behavior change because prevention only works when it is feasible in everyday life. Thus, the POC serves as an active partner in behavior modification. At the same time, the POC functions as a research platform for epidemiological, implementation, and translational trials. Standardized data on risk profiles, adherence, effectiveness, and acceptance of preventive measures provides insight into the success factors and barriers of cancer prevention. Linking research and application creates a bidirectional knowledge loop in which findings from science are translated into practice and re-translated from application to new research questions. Additionally, the POC fosters interdisciplinary collaboration among oncology, human genetics, nutrition and sports medicine, psychology, and public health. Digital tools and AI-supported algorithms offer new perspectives for more precise risk assessment and personalized prevention planning for specific risk reduction. The POC exemplifies a paradigm shift in oncology, moving away from solely treating disease and toward a proactive, personalized, and accessible health strategy nationwide. The POC combines research and application, strengthens health literacy and self-efficacy, and establishes prevention as an integral part of modern society.