About

The group explores personalized breast cancer (BC) hormone therapy via stratified tamoxifen treatment and genetic risk stratification using large consortial data. It further investigates tumour heterogeneity through spatial immunofluorescence/transcriptomics, and AI-driven computational pathology. Prediction of therapy failure is addressed via a p53 mRNA classifier, PIK3CA mutation, and circulating tumour markers. International and interdisciplinary collaborations support patient recruitment, genetic validation, and multianalyte assays for the assessment of recurrence risk.

Heads

Dr. Werner Schroth
Research Group Leader Breast Cancer Recurrence and Clinical Translation
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Dr. Florian Büttner
Bioinformatician, Research Group Leader Breast Cancer Recurrence and Clinical Translation
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Team Members

Dr. Reiner Hoppe
Scientist
Tel+49-(0)711-8101-2058
reiner.hoppe@ikp-stuttgart.de
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Dr. Stefan Winter
Scientist
Tel+49-711-8101-5704
stefan.winter@ikp-stuttgart.de
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Frank Bastian
Scientist
frank.bastian@ikp-stuttgart.de
Dr. Thomas Mürdter
Senior Scientist
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M.Sc. Techn.Bio. Elias Stahl
PhD Student
Tel+49 711 8101‐5640
elias.stahl@ikp-stuttgart.de
Jan Clevorn
Master student
jan.clevorn@ikp-stuttgart.de
Anna Kechter
Technical Assistant
Tel+49-711-8101 5771
Anna.Kechter@ikp-stuttgart.de
Jasmin Happle
Technical Assistant
Tel+49-711-8101 5969
jasmin.happle@ikp-stuttgart.de

Selected publications of the Research Group

  • Maier S, Schroth W, Mier F, Matt L, Bischof H, Tamaddon A, Stojkov D, Birkenfeld L, Cruz Santos M, Gross D, Dahlen J, Büttner FA, Bonzheim I, Fend F, Brauch H, Boeckler FM, Schwab M, Lukowski R. Tamoxifen metabolites acting via BKCa orchestrate the dynamics of K+ and Ca2+ in breast cancer cells. J Biol Chem. 2(302):111015, 2026. doi: 10.1016/j.jbc.2025.111015.
  • Hoppe R, Winter S, Lo W-Y, Michailidou K, Bolla MK, Keeman R, Wang Q, Dennis J, Lush M, Kalari KR, Goetz MP, Wang L, Cairns J, Weinshilboum R, Shepherd L, Chen BE, Häberle L, Ruebner M, Beckmann MW, He W, Larson NL, Armasu SM, Schroth W, Chowbay B, Khor CC, Abubakar M, Antoniou AC, Brüning T, Castelao JE, Chang-Claude J, Nbcs C, Dörk T, Eccles DM, Figueroa JD, Gago-Dominguez M, García-Sáenz JA, Gündert M, Hack CC, Hamann U, Han S, Hooning MJ, Huebner H, Abctb I, John EM, Ko Y-D, Kristensen VN, Linn S, Margolin S, Mavroudis D, Nevanlinna H, Neven P, Obi N, Park-Simon T-W, Pylkäs K, Rashid MU, Romero A, Saloustros E, Sawyer EJ, Tapper WJ, Tomlinson I, Wendt C, Winqvist R, Dunning AM, Simard J, Hall P, Pharoah PDP, Schwab M, Couch FJ, Czene K, Fasching PA, Easton DF, Schmidt MK, Ingle JN, Brauch H. Lessons learned from a candidate gene study investigating aromatase inhibitor treatment outcome in breast cancer. NPJ Breast Cancer. 1(11):18, 2025. doi: 10.1038/s41523-025-00733-y.
  • Mürdter TE, Schroth W, Goetz MP, Tremmel R, Igel S, Schaeffeler E, Jäger S, Loibl S, Gerteis A, Pfaff L, Bechtner C, Wrobel D, Bernhöft I, Fischer I, Meisner C, Block M, Brauch H, Schwab M. Supplementation of Tamoxifen with Low-Dose Endoxifen in Patients with Breast Cancer with Impaired Tamoxifen Metabolism (TAMENDOX): A Randomized Controlled Phase I/II Trial. Clin Cancer Res. 23(31):4903–4911, 2025. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-25-2103.
  • Bischof H, Maier S, Koprowski P, Kulawiak B, Burgstaller S, Jasińska J, Serafimov K, Zochowska M, Gross D, Schroth W, Matt L, Juarez Lopez DA, Zhang Y, Bonzheim I, Büttner FA, Fend F, Schwab M, Birkenfeld AL, Malli R, Lämmerhofer M, Bednarczyk P, Szewczyk A, Lukowski R. mitoBKCa is functionally expressed in murine and human breast cancer cells and potentially contributes to metabolic reprogramming. Elife(12, 2024. doi: 10.7554/eLife.92511.
  • Kentistou KA, Kaisinger LR, Stankovic S, Vaudel M, Mendes de Oliveira E, Messina A, Walters RG, Liu X, Busch AS, Helgason H, Thompson DJ, Santoni F, Petricek KM, Zouaghi Y, Huang-Doran I, Gudbjartsson DF, Bratland E, Lin K, Gardner EJ, Zhao Y, Jia RY, Terao C, Riggan MJ, Bolla MK, Yazdanpanah M, Yazdanpanah N, Bradfield JP, Broer L, Campbell A, Chasman DI, Cousminer DL, Franceschini N, Franke LH, Girotto G, He C, Järvelin M-R, Joshi PK, Kamatani Y, Karlsson R, Luan J, Lunetta KL, Mägi R, Mangino M, Medland SE, Meisinger C, Noordam R, Nutile T, Concas MP, Polašek O, Porcu E, Ring SM, Sala C, Smith AV, Tanaka T, van der Most PJ, Vitart V, Wang CA, Willemsen G, Zygmunt M, Ahearn TU, Andrulis IL, Anton-Culver H, Antoniou AC, Auer PL, Barnes CLK, Beckmann MW, Berrington de Gonzalez A, Bogdanova NV, Bojesen SE, Brenner H, Buring JE, Canzian F, Chang-Claude J, Couch FJ, Cox A, Crisponi L, Czene K, Daly MB, Demerath EW, Dennis J, Devilee P, Vivo I de, Dörk T, Dunning AM, Dwek M, Eriksson JG, Fasching PA, Fernandez-Rhodes L, Ferreli L, Fletcher O, Gago-Dominguez M, García-Closas M, García-Sáenz JA, González-Neira A, Grallert H, Guénel P, Haiman CA, Hall P, Hamann U, Hakonarson H, Hart RJ, Hickey M, Hooning MJ, Hoppe R, Hopper JL, Hottenga J-J, Hu FB, Huebner H, Hunter DJ, Jernström H, John EM, Karasik D, Khusnutdinova EK, Kristensen VN, Lacey JV, Lambrechts D, Launer LJ, Lind PA, Lindblom A, Magnusson PKE, Mannermaa A, McCarthy MI, Meitinger T, Menni C, Michailidou K, Millwood IY, Milne RL, Montgomery GW, Nevanlinna H, Nolte IM, Nyholt DR, Obi N, O'Brien KM, Offit K, Oldehinkel AJ, Ostrowski SR, Palotie A, Pedersen OB, Peters A, Pianigiani G, Plaseska-Karanfilska D, Pouta A, Pozarickij A, Radice P, Rennert G, Rosendaal FR, Ruggiero D, Saloustros E, Sandler DP, Schipf S, Schmidt CO, Schmidt MK, Small K, Spedicati B, Stampfer M, Stone J, Tamimi RM, Teras LR, Tikkanen E, Turman C, Vachon CM, Wang Q, Winqvist R, Wolk A, Zemel BS, Zheng W, van Dijk KW, Alizadeh BZ, Bandinelli S, Boerwinkle E, Boomsma DI, Ciullo M, Chenevix-Trench G, Cucca F, Esko T, Gieger C, Grant SFA, Gudnason V, Hayward C, Kolčić I, Kraft P, Lawlor DA, Martin NG, Nøhr EA, Pedersen NL, Pennell CE, Ridker PM, Robino A, Snieder H, Sovio U, Spector TD, Stöckl D, Sudlow C, Timpson NJ, Toniolo D, Uitterlinden A, Ulivi S, Völzke H, Wareham NJ, Widen E, Wilson JF, Pharoah PDP, Li L, Easton DF, Njølstad PR, Sulem P, Murabito JM, Murray A, Manousaki D, Juul A, Erikstrup C, Stefansson K, Horikoshi M, Chen Z, Farooqi IS, Pitteloud N, Johansson S, Day FR, Perry JRB, Ong KK. Understanding the genetic complexity of puberty timing across the allele frequency spectrum. Nat Genet. 7(56):1397–1411, 2024. doi: 10.1038/s41588-024-01798-4.
  • Mc Laughlin AM, Helland T, Klima F, Koolen SLW, van Schaik RHN, Mathijssen RHJ, Neven P, Swen JJ, Guchelaar H-J, Dalenc F, White-Koning M, Michelet R, Mikus G, Schroth W, Mürdter T, Brauch H, Schwab M, Søiland H, Mellgren G, Thomas F, Kloft C, Hertz DL. Nonlinear Mixed-Effects Model of Z-Endoxifen Concentrations in Tamoxifen-Treated Patients from the CEPAM Cohort. Clin Pharmacol Ther. 3(116):690–702, 2024. doi: 10.1002/cpt.3238.
  • Khor CC, Winter S, Sutiman N, Mürdter TE, Chen S, Lim JSL, Li Z, Li J, Sim KS, Ganchev B, Eccles D, Eccles B, Tapper W, Zgheib NK, Tfayli A, Ng RCH, Yap YS, Lim E, Wong M, Wong NS, Ang PCS, Dent R, Tremmel R, Klein K, Schaeffeler E, Zhou Y, Lauschke VM, Eichelbaum M, Schwab M, Brauch HB, Chowbay B, Schroth W. Cross-Ancestry Genome-Wide Association Study Defines the Extended CYP2D6 Locus as the Principal Genetic Determinant of Endoxifen Plasma Concentrations. Clin Pharmacol Ther. 3(113):712–723, 2023. doi: 10.1002/cpt.2846.
  • Lopes Cardozo JMN, Andrulis IL, Bojesen SE, Dörk T, Eccles DM, Fasching PA, Hooning MJ, Keeman R, Nevanlinna H, Rutgers EJT, Easton DF, Hall P, Pharoah PDP, van 't Veer LJ, Schmidt MK. Associations of a Breast Cancer Polygenic Risk Score With Tumor Characteristics and Survival. J Clin Oncol. 10(41):1849–1863, 2023. doi: 10.1200/JCO.22.01978.
  • Büttner FA, Winter S, Stühler V, Rausch S, Hennenlotter J, Füssel S, Zastrow S, Meinhardt M, Toma M, Jerónimo C, Henrique R, Miranda-Gonçalves V, Kröger N, Ribback S, Hartmann A, Agaimy A, Stöhr C, Polifka I, Fend F, Scharpf M, Comperat E, Wasinger G, Moch H, Stenzl A, Gerlinger M, Bedke J, Schwab M, Schaeffeler E. A novel molecular signature identifies mixed subtypes in renal cell carcinoma with poor prognosis and independent response to immunotherapy. Genome Med. 1(14):105, 2022. doi: 10.1186/s13073-022-01105-y.
  • Schroth W, Büttner FA, Kandabarau S, Hoppe R, Fritz P, Kumbrink J, Kirchner T, Brauer HA, Ren Y, Henderson D, Madden SF, Sauer G, Fehm T, Wallwiener D, Fasching PA, Mürdter T, Schwab M, Brauch H. Gene Expression Signatures of BRCAness and Tumor Inflammation Define Subgroups of Early-Stage Hormone Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer Patients. Clin Cancer Res. 24(26):6523–6534, 2020. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-20-1923.