Professor Rudolf Kaaks is a distinguished leader in cancer epidemiology and currently serves as Head of the Division of Cancer Epidemiology at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg. He holds a professorship in Cancer Epidemiology at the University of Heidelberg and received his academic training at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. His career has been dedicated to understanding the population-level causes of cancer with the ultimate goal of prevention through risk factor identification and avoidance. As a principal investigator, he leads one of the 18 recruitment centers of the German National Cohort located in Mannheim, collaborating closely with the University of Heidelberg.
Professor Kaaks' seminal research focuses on quantifying cancer risks associated with lifestyle, nutrition, metabolism, and immune factors, with particular emphasis on how these environmental factors interact with genetic susceptibility in cancer development and survival. His DKFZ epidemiology team conducted groundbreaking research that precisely calculated how specific lifestyle risk factors reduce life expectancy, demonstrating that a male obese smoker who drinks heavily and consumes substantial red meat loses up to 17 years of life expectancy compared to individuals with optimal risk profiles. This work leveraged the extensive European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study, which has documented lifestyle factors of over half a million Europeans over two decades, providing exceptionally high-quality data for epidemiological analysis.
Beyond his individual research contributions, Kaaks has significantly shaped cancer prevention strategies through his leadership of the EPIC center in Heidelberg, which has followed 25,540 study participants from the Heidelberg area. His division's work on lung cancer risk prediction models, including validation of multivariable models within the German Lung Cancer Screening Intervention trial, demonstrates his commitment to translating epidemiological findings into clinical applications. Professor Kaaks emphasizes the importance of clear quantification of lifestyle impacts, noting that people often interpret scientific education about healthy lifestyles as finger-wagging, making it crucial to demonstrate precisely how much individuals can extend their lives by adopting healthier habits. His ongoing research continues to provide the evidence base for effective cancer prevention policies worldwide.
