Prof. Jürgen Debus

Prof. Jürgen Debus, M.D., Ph.D., is a senior radiation oncologist with more than three decades of clinical and scientific experience in precision radiotherapy. He serves as the Director of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Heidelberg University Hospital and is the Scientific-Medical Head of the Heidelberg Ion-Beam Therapy Center (HIT), one of the leading international centers for proton and carbon-ion treatment.

His work focuses on the clinical application and further development of advanced radiation technologies, including proton therapy, carbon-ion therapy, image-guided radiotherapy, and stereotactic techniques. Prof. Debus has played a central role in integrating these methods into routine clinical practice at Heidelberg, particularly for tumors that require very high precision or are difficult to treat with conventional radiation.

In addition to his clinical responsibilities, Prof. Debus is an active researcher with a large scientific output in the fields of particle therapy, treatment-planning optimization, and radiation effects on healthy tissue. His long-standing interest is improving treatment accuracy and reducing side effects through evidence-based use of modern radiotherapy.

Prof. Debus works within multidisciplinary teams to ensure that each patient receives a treatment recommendation based on current scientific data and individual medical needs. His approach prioritizes clarity, safety, and careful evaluation of all available therapeutic options.

• 1988–1995: Research Assistant, Department of Radiation Oncology and Radiation Therapy, University Hospital Heidelberg.
  
  
• 1991–1992: Medical internship in Radiation Oncology, University Hospital Heidelberg.
  
  
• 1993–1996: Assistant Physician in Radiation Oncology, University Hospital Heidelberg.
  
  
• 1996–1997: Senior Physician & Radiation Protection Officer, Radiation Oncology, University Hospital Heidelberg.
  
  
• 1997–2003: Associate Professor & Head of the Clinical Cooperation Unit “Radiotherapeutic Oncology”, at German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg
  
  
• Since 2003: Full Professor and Medical Director, Department of Radiation Oncology & Radiation Therapy, University Hospital Heidelberg.
  
  
• 2009 onward: Director of the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg and Scientific-Medical Head of the Heidelberg Ion-Beam Therapy Center (HIT).

• DNA methylation-based classification of central nervous system tumours – Nature 555 (7697), 469-474, (2018)
  
  
• 68Ga-FAPI PET/CT: tracer uptake in 28 different kinds of cancer – Journal of Nuclear Medicine 60 (6), 801-805, (2019)
  
  
• Reduced treatment intensity in patients with early-stage Hodgkin's lymphoma – New England Journal of Medicine 363 (7), 640-652, (2010)
  
  
• The diagnostic value of PET/CT imaging with the 68Ga-labelled PSMA ligand HBED-CC in the diagnosis of recurrent prostate cancer – European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 42 (2), 197-209, (2015)
  
  
• Comparison of PET imaging with a 68Ga-labelled PSMA ligand and 18F-choline-based PET/CT for the diagnosis of recurrent prostate cancer – European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 41 (1), 11-20, (2014)
  
  
• Radiation oncology in the era of precision medicine – Nature Reviews Cancer 16 (4), 234-249, (2016)
  
  
• Development of quinoline-based theranostic ligands for the targeting of fibroblast activation protein – Journal of Nuclear Medicine 59 (9), 1415-1422, (2018)
  
  
• A tumor-imaging method targeting cancer-associated fibroblasts – Journal of Nuclear Medicine 59 (9), 1423-1429, (2018)
  
  
• 68Ga-FAPI PET/CT: biodistribution and preliminary dosimetry estimate of 2 DOTA-containing FAP-targeting agents in patients with various cancers – Journal of Nuclear Medicine 60 (3), 386-392, (2019)
  
  
• Carbon ion radiotherapy in Japan: an assessment of 20 years of clinical experience – The Lancet Oncology 16 (2), e93-e100, (2015)
  
  
• Stereotactic single-dose radiation therapy of liver tumors: results of a phase I/II trial – Journal of Clinical Oncology 19 (1), 164-170, (2001)
  
  
• Diagnostic performance of 68Ga-PSMA-11 (HBED-CC) PET/CT in patients with recurrent prostate cancer: evaluation in 1007 patients – European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 44 (8), 1258-1268, (2017)
  
  
• Endostatin's antiangiogenic signaling network – Molecular Cell 13 (5), 649-663, (2004)
  
  
• Intensified chemotherapy and dose-reduced involved-field radiotherapy in patients with early unfavorable Hodgkin's lymphoma: final analysis of the German Hodgkin Study Group – Journal of Clinical Oncology 28 (27), 4199-4206, (2010)
  
  
• Exploratory prospective trial of hypoxia-specific PET imaging during radiochemotherapy in patients with locally advanced head-and-neck cancer – Radiotherapy and Oncology 105 (1), 21-28, (2012)
  
  
• Sarcoma classification by DNA methylation profiling – Nature Communications 12 (1), 498, (2021)
  
  
• Development of fibroblast activation protein–targeted radiotracers with improved tumor retention – Journal of Nuclear Medicine 60 (10), 1421-1429, (2019)
  
  
• Automated quantitative tumour response assessment of MRI in neu

• Head & Neck Tumors
  Includes skull-base tumors, nasopharyngeal carcinomas, and recurrent head & neck cancers.
  Frequently addressed in his research on high-precision radiotherapy and particle therapy.
  
  
• Prostate Cancer
  Primary and recurrent prostate cancer, including PSMA-targeted PET imaging and therapy.
  Well represented in his nuclear medicine and theranostics publications.
  
  
• Pancreatic Cancer
  Locally advanced pancreatic tumors, often in combination with surgery or chemotherapy.
  Appears in his clinical studies and surgical outcome research.
  
  
• Sarcomas
  Bone and soft tissue sarcomas, particularly in challenging anatomical locations.
  A focus of his carbon-ion therapy research and publications.
  
  
• Central Nervous System Tumors
  Gliomas, glioblastomas, and other CNS tumors.
  Highlighted in his DNA methylation profiling research and precision radiotherapy