Current position

Head, Division Clinical Oncology Research

University Clinic, Martin Luther University, Halle (Saale)

Director emeritus: Department of Oncology & Hematology

University Clinic, Martin Luther University, Halle (Saale)

Professional background

• 1971-1975
  Fellow, Dptm. Radiation Oncology, Medical University Hannover, Germany
• 1975–1981
  Fellow, Dptm. Hematology & Oncology, Medical University Hannover
• 1982-1995
  Associate Professor & Chair, Division Medical Oncology,Medical University Hannover
• 1995-2014
  Professor & Chair, Dptm. Internal Medicine IV – Oncology/Hematology, Martin-Luther-University Clinic Halle (Saale)
• 2008-2014
  Founding Director, Center for Cell- & Gene Therapy, Martin-Luther-University Halle (Saale)
• 2014-20
  Member, Board of Directors, Center for Cell- & Gene Therapy, Martin-Luther-University Halle (Saale)
• 2014 - 2022
  Head, Division Clinical Oncology Research, Dptm. Internal Medicine IV – Oncology/Hematology, Martin-Luther University Clinic Halle (Saale)

Publications (Chair)

N Citations/year: XXX

Citation factor (h; web of science): 86

Function in Scientific Organisations

• European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO)

o 2006 - 2010: Executive committee, member

o 2006 - 2010: Chair, Multidisciplinary Oncology Committee (MOC)

o 2005 - 2006: Chair, Scientific Committee, ESMO-congress (Istanbul)

o 1995 - 2009: Faculty & Scientific Committee (CRC, Germ Cell)

• American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)

o 1995-1996: Scientific Programme Committee and faculty

o 2005-2007: Scientific Programme Committee and faculty

o 2003-2006: Membership-Committee

• Association of Medical Oncology of German Cancer Society (AIO)

o 2002 - 2008: Founder & Chair, AIO

o 1988 - 2004: Founder & Chair, Interdisciplinary Section “Genitourinary Cancer”

o 2002 - 2011: Chair, Section “Colorectal Cancer
 

• German Testicular Cancer Study group (GTCSG)

o 1992 - 2002: Founder & Chair

• Cancer Society Saxony-Anhalt (SAKG)

o 2000-  Founding President

• European Germ cell cancer consensus Group (EGCCCG)

o 2000 - 2004: Founder & Chair

• European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC):

o 1985 - 1993: Protocol Review Committee

o 1992 - 1995 Genitourinary Tumour Study Group

o 1995 -  Gastrointestinal Tumour Study Group

• Clinical Trials Advisory and Awards Committee UK

o 2006 - 2018: IDMC of the MRC, UK

• 2010 – 2014 NCI GI-steering committee (USA)

Scientific Journals

• Editor

o 2002-2013: “Onkologie” (Editor in Chief)

o 2007-2014: “Onco -Targets & Therapy” (founding editor)

o 2001-2010: Cancer Research (Associate Editor)

• Book-Editor

o “Kompendium Internistische Onkologie”, Springer Heidelberg, Schmoll/Höffken/

      Possinger, 7.000 pages, 1986,1997,1999,2006, 5th ed. in preparation (2021)

o 15 books/monograph

• Editorial Board/ Reviewer

Multiple journals, including:

Journal of Clinical Oncology, Cancer Research,European Journal of Cancer, Annals of Oncology, Critical Reviews in Hematology and Oncology, Cancer & Chemotherapy Reviews, Future Oncology, The New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet, Lancet Oncology, Cancer Research, Nature Clinical Practice, Journal of Clinical Oncology, Annals of Oncology, The Oncologist

European Journal of Cancer, Oncology, Oncotargets and Therapy

Consensus-Conferences (Chair)

Chair, Consensus Conferences:

o 1994: German Germ Cell Cancer Collaboration Group

o 2004: EGCCCG, Testicular Cancer (AnnOnc)

o 2009: ESMO, Testicular cancer (AnnOnc)

o 2012: ESMO, Colon-Rectal-Cancer (AnnOnc)

Awards/ Honorary member

• 1981 Johann-Georg-Zimmermann- Award for Cancer Research
• 2001 German Cancer Award (German Cancer Society)
• 7/2020 ESMO Award

Honorary Member:

• Hungarian Cancer Society (2006),
• The Hungarian Society of Medical Oncology (2008),
• Hungarian Association of Medical Oncology (2011),
• German Society of Hematology/Oncology (2015),
• Association of Medical Oncology (AIO) of the German Cancer Society (2016)
• Honorary Professor, Latin American School of Oncology

Biography - short version

Since 5 decades, Prof. Schmoll is highly esteemed, accepted and the most relevant and influential medical oncologist in Germany: a clinical scientist in many fields of medical-oncology, with exceptional leadership and influence for the development of medical oncology in germany, and academic teacher, who educated generations of medical oncologist in germany and many other contries. As editor of the german standard reference book for medical and multidisciplinary oncology (6000 pages), he defined over the last 30 years the treatment standards and education in medical oncology in the german speaking countries and also as founder and chair of several international consensus conferences and guidelines author - in particular for testicular- and colorectal cancer.

He has contributed over the last decades continuously as key researcher to the whole field of medical oncology, in particular 5 in GU and GI-cancer, with numerous standard setting national and international trials, mostly within the EORTC, AIO or large international cooperation. His work has defined worldwide standards, in particular for the adjuvant treatment of colon and rectal cancer and the management of germcell cancer and has been highly cited, with a cum. IF >1758, a citation rate of 1500-1700/year, and a correspondingly h-citation factor of 76 (web os science) - reflecting the international relevance of his research.

In Germany, he has since the early 80ties successfully set up the structures for cooperative and multidisciplinary clinical research, with large nationwide trials in GI-and GU-cancer. He developed in the last 2 decades the setting oft he AIO with 30 cooperative Clinical Trials Groups for all tumor types, what formed the basis for the current international acceptance of the AIO as one of the world´s leading clinical trials group, and in particular also for the scientific and professional development of the younger generation. Eg., many of his former fellows achieved a high level of international recognition.

Prof. Schmoll was also instrumental for the european recognition of “med-onc” by forming a “political” coalition to change the negative voting of germany in the EU. Within ESMO, he served in the Executive Board as chair of the Multidisciplinary Oncology Committee (MOC), and as scientific chair of the Istanbul ESMO Congress 2006 where he developed the current program-committee organisation with tumor-traks etc.

Prof. Schmoll is still highly active in clinical research, high ranked publications and teaching scientific organisations.

1. Overview

Since many years, Prof. Schmoll is the most recognized, accepted and influential german medical oncologist- not only in Germany, but also in Europe as well as in the US, South-America and Asia. This is based on the huge amount of clinically highly important scientific research with major relevance for defining new treatment standards, particularly in the field of Germ cell- and GI-cancer, as well as his tremendous activity to develop and support oncologic education. He was for many decades building up research structures in germany , and was strongly involved in national and international organizations as AIO, ESMO, ASCO, SLAGO and many more other national oncology societies and organisations. With currently 448 scientific publications (pubmed), several of them belonging to the highest cited papers of some of the journals, a cumulative impact factor of 1758, a high citation rate (1500 – 16000/year), and a Citation Factor (Hirsch) of 76 (web of science), Prof. Schmoll had and has a very strong scientific impact and influence for the field of medical oncology worldwide.

Prof. Schmoll has contributed continuously key research to the field of clinical oncology, in particular from 1972 on for germ cell cancer and his second field of research was gastrointestinal cancer, in particular colon- and rectal cancer, and several other solid tumor sites. His group has been key for the development of the standard of preoperative chemotherapy in gastric cancer. In germ cell cancer he defined and established the role of Ifosfamide in germ cell cancer, where he also used first Cisplatinum in Germany, and he developed the combination of Cisplatin and Ifosfamide for germ cell cancer and other tumors. He has set up the first international consensus group and guidelines for germ cell cancer (EGCCCG 2004 and ESMO, 2008), and for colon- and rectal cancer (ESMO guideline 2012); both guidelines had set the standard for the clinical management in most countries.

In Germany, Prof. Schmoll had set up over the last decades the structures for cooperative clinical and translational research in medical and multidisciplinary oncology, by building up the cooperative clinical trials in all fields of oncology, as well as the corresponding network and structures within the AIO. By this mean, he also was instrumental for the scientific and carrier development of the younger generation of medical oncologists and the fellows; most of his former fellows have achieved a high level of national and international recognition, and are translating the effort of Prof. Schmoll into further improvement.

Prof. Schmoll had a longtime active part in the ESMO, where he was long term member of the executive board and founding chair of the “Multidisciplinary Oncology Committee” (MOC). He served as the scientific chair of the Istanbul ESMO-congress, where he introduced the track system for an innovative structure of the scientific committee which is still in change today. Furthermore, by changing the rules for board positions in the AIO which required the ESMO-Examination as prerequisite, he strongly increased the number of ESMO members coming from Germany-a group which represents now the largest proportion of national members within the ESMO.

Finally, Prof. Schmoll was key instrumental for the recognition of “Med-Onc” in the parliament, since he had successfully set up an alliance between the german society for HemOnc, the German Chamber of Medicine (Ärztekammer), the parliament and the german EU-representatives, in order to avoid a negative voting from the german members of the parlament . This led to the positive vote finally in the EU parliament and therefore to the recognition of oncology in the EU.

In ASCO, Prof. Schmoll served numerous times as member of the scientific committee, faculty, and invited speaker.

The most important earnings of Prof. Schmoll, besides his research achievements, and the development of clinical research and supporting structures for  medical oncology and oncologists in germany, is his tremendous impact on the education and development of management quality in german speaking countries over the last 30 years. Besides more than 15 books and monographs, he had edited the standard reference book for medical and interdisciplinary oncology (6000 pages, 3 volumes, 5^th edition in preparation for 2020, (10.000 books/edition, plus electronic edition). This book serves since the first edition as the standard reference book for everybody, treating cancer in german speaking  countries. Indeed, this book serves continuously as the source for education in all fields of medical and interdisciplinary oncology as well as supportive care.

2. Scientific work

2.1. Development of clinical research structures and researches in the AIO

All of his clinical trials have been done in the framework of the AIO- Germ Cell- and the Colorectal Cancer trial groups, which Prof. Schmoll has built up and developed as founding chair to one of the most important  and successful clinical trial groups for CRC and upper GI-cancer and Germ cell tumor in Europe and worldwide. In summary, in this large field of gastro-intestinal cancer, in particular colon – and rectal cancer, as well as germ cell cancer, Prof. Schmoll and his group have added major contributions to the development of modern standard treatment strategies; through this cooperative academic work, he was also instrumental for the development of a cooperative, multimodal treatment and research approach in Germany including surgeons, urologists, radiotherapists, interventionalists and medical oncologists for  clinical research as well as daily multidisciplinary treatment decisions and performance.

2.2. Clinical scientific research and achievements

2.2.1. Germ Cell Cancer

Prof. Schmoll started his first research in Medical Oncology in 1973 when he investigated - as the first investigator of the new compound - ifosphamide in refractory cancer, in particular in testicular cancer. He first identified the high efficacy of ifosfamide and thereafter he developed ifosfamide- and cisplatin-based combinations. For this purpose he received as the first investigator in Europe Cisplatinum from the NCI, followed by the development of the Cisplatin/Ifosfamide-based combinations (VIP/PEI, Vbl/I/P, Vbl/BlM/I, etc.), parallel to and partially also in cooperation with Dr. Einhorn’s group in US.

For this purpose he founded the Testicular Cancer Study Group, which represented the first german national multidiciplinary cooperative trial group for clinical oncology in Germany, and was organized within the framework of the AIO. With several subsequent large prospective randomized trials investigating key questions for all stages of early and late germ cell cancer, including high dose salvage chemotherapy, together with his group including Drs. Harstrick, Bokemeyer etc., and also the EORTC-GU-group, Prof. Schmoll has set worldwide standards for the systemic and combined modality treatment in early and advanced stages of testicular cancer-several of them still valid today. He was also instrumental part for the development of the European Prognostic Factor - classification for advanced germ cell cancer.

Through building up this cooperative network in Germany, together with Austria, he not only defined the standard treatments through carefully planned and well performed prospective clinical trials, but also this type of interdisciplinary cooperation and clinical science development in German speaking countries. Finally, he developed the European Germ Cell Cancer Consensus Group (EGCCCG) and - for the first time - defined the international standards for diagnosis and treatment of germ cell cancer in Europe and worldwide. The Consensus conference based guideline was published in AnnOncol 2014 as the first testis cancer guideline - one of the most cited papers in the journal. This was followed by the ESMO-Guideline-Consensus conference in 2008 and the new ESMO-guideline, published in AnnOncol.

2.2.2.Gastrointestinal Cancer

In the early 80ties, Prof. Schmoll has developed his second major field of clinical research, with esophageal, gastric, colon and rectal cancer. Through the development of national and international interdisciplinary trial-groups, Prof. Schmoll and his group, including Drs. Jordan, Arnold, Stahl, Wilke, Koehne, Grothey and many more, have set major new standards for several GI-cancer.

2.2.2.1. Gastric cancer

Beyond new chemotherapy regimen, his group developed the basis for the principle of neo-adjuvant, preoperative chemotherapy, followed by secondary surgery, in locally advanced gastric cancer - an approach, which formed the basis for the current worldwide standard  treatment.

2.2.3. Colon cancer

2.2.3.1. Advanced Colorectal cancer

For colon cancer, together with the EORTC GI group, Prof. Schmoll  developed sequential trials on first-line treatment in advanced colorectal cancer, beginning with the “AIO Schedule” (infusional 5-FU/folinic acid - which competed for long time with the French “De-Gramont-Schedule”), one of the standard Oxaliplatin-combinations, and in the following all types of Capecitabin based protocols +/- targeted drugs, eg. Bevacizumab, Cetuximab and Cediranib.. These trials have defined new and worldwide standards, eg. the re-use of Bevacizumab in 2.line, maintenance treatment, the development of 4-drug-combinations, or new trials designs, eg. the “MODUL trial” to overcome the time and resource problem for investigation of multiple and new targeted drugs. In addition, very early in the 80ties, his group (E. Schmoll) developed the combination of systemic chemotherapy + intraarterial chemoembolization/chemotherapy via arteria hepatica, as a multimodal approach in liver-limited advanced colorectal cancer, as well as the modality of chemoembolization for hepatocellular cancer.

2.2.3.2. Early stage colon cancer                                                                                                 

In early stages of colon cancer, Prof. Schmoll has developed the current and future standard of adjuvant chemotherapy with XELOX in stage III disease by a worldwide large randomized trial (XELOXA); furthermore through translational analyses, this group has shown the high relevance of a molecular prognostic and potentially predictive molecular marker (DPD-expression) with the potential to select the adjuvant treatment more precisely (DPD expression).

2.2.3.3. Locally advanced rectal cancer

For locally advanced rectal cancer, Prof. Schmoll co-developed the preoperative chemo-radiation with 5FU +/-Folinic acid. This work resulted finally in recent large international EORTC trial (PETACC 6) to investigate the additional role of oxaliplatin for pre- and post-op treatment of locally advanced rectal cancer, as one of the 2  ever performed phase III trials for this question.

2.2.4. Development of sequential high dose chemotherapy

Prof. Schmoll had developed as the first investigator worldwide the approach of sequential high dose chemotherapy, using hematopoetic stem cells for each sequential cycle of intermediate/high dose combination chemotherapy, for 4 – 5 cycles – a strategy which has been adopted for the high dose treatment for several tumor types.

Further relevant clinical research was performed in neuro-/endocrine tumors, CUP-syndrom, and sarcoma; for example, the most recent prospective randomized trial is going to be presented at ASCO 2016 and defined a new standard for second-line treatment of advanced soft tissue sarcoma.

2.3. Preclinical Research

2.3.1. Tumor biology

Parallel to his clinical work and clinical trials, Prof. Schmoll had run from 1975 through 2014 an experimental research laboratory for tumor biology, with particular research on chemo sensitivity/resistance-mechanism, in particular for targeted drugs, and inhibition of angiogenesis. The findings have been used for the development of the explorative clinical phase I/IIa-trials.

2.3.2. Mesenchymal stem cells as tumor directed gen-carrier

More recently, the potentials use of genetically (lentiviral vector, transduction of “trail”) modified mesenchymal stem cells for targeted application of death signals (trail) specifically to tumor cells, via mesenchymal stem cells trafficking to the tumor site and -cells, has been explored. This unique approach is currently further evaluated preclinically and potentially also clinically.