Prof. Martin Spahn | Swiss Surgery

Dear patients and referring physicians!

A warm welcome to you!

Operating means taking responsibility for a person and is therefore a matter of special trust and experience.

With over 20 years of experience at the Inselspital Bern, the University Clinic of Würzburg and the Urological Clinic of Karlsruhe, which are among the largest and most renowned urological clinics in Europe, I have been able to acquire comprehensive experience with more than 10,000 operations performed to date.

The special focus of my medical work has been on minimally invasive Da Vinci surgery and complex interventions in the area of the prostate, kidneys and urinary bladder, as well as the entire urogenital tract.

As a surgeon, it is my personal concern to put this experience at the service of my patients and to maintain and restore their health.

We cordially welcome patients of all insurance classes!

I am at your disposal for further questions.

Prof. Martin Spahn

Career

since 2019	Swiss Surgery – Expertise in Cancer & Operative Treatment
since 2019	Lindenhof Hospital Bern
2017	Centre for Urology Zurich, Hirslanden Prostate Carcinoma Zurich, Hirslanden Clinic Zurich
2017	Appointment as Associate Professor of Urology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
2016	Appointment as Associate Professor, University of Bern
2013 – 2017	Coordinator of the Uro-oncological Centre and University Prostate Cancer Centre at the Inselspital Bern
2012 – 2017	Head Physician, Urological University Clinic Bern, Inselspital (Prof. Dr. med. G. Thalmann)
2011	Habilitation (University of Würzburg) “Clinical and molecular characterization of high-risk prostate carcinoma”
2007 – 2012	Senior Physician and Deputy Clinic Director, Clinic and Polyclinic for Urology and Pediatric Urology University Hospital Würzburg (Prof. Dr. med. H. Riedmiller)
2007 – 2007	Deputy Clinic Director, Urological Clinic, Municipal Hospital Karlsruhe (Prof. Dr. Med. D. Frohneberg)
2007	Optional further education: Special urological surgery
2006 – 2006	Senior physician, Clinic and Polyclinic for Urology and Pediatric Urology, University Hospital Würzburg (Prof. Dr. med. H. Riedmiller)
2002 – 2006	Senior physician and managing senior physician at the Urological Clinic, Municipal Hospital Karlsruhe (Prof. Dr. med. D. Frohneberg)
2001	Recognition as specialist for urology
2000 – 2001	Assistant physician, Department of Urology, Municipal Hospital Karlsruhe (Prof. Dr. med. D. Frohneberg)
1997 – 2000	Assistant physician, Urological University Hospital Mannheim, Faculty of Clinical Medicine at the University of Heidelberg (Prof. Dr. med. P. Alken)
1997	PhD “New gene sequences associated with growth factors in rat fibrosarcoma cells” Grade – magna cum laude
1995 – 1997	Assistant physician, vascular surgery department St. Elisabeth, Volkmansen Hospital (Dr. med. A. Dingel)
1993 – 1995	Physician in internship and assistant, Department of Urology, Elisabeth Hospital Kassel (Dr. med. J. Frölich)
1987 – 1993	Studied human medicine at the University of Frankfurt/M, Giessen, Chicago and Hamburg

Practices at

Swiss Surgery

Lindenhof Hospital Bern

Hirslanden Prostate Cancer Center Zurich

Hirslanden Clinic Zurich

Awards & Stipends

Prostate Cancer Research Award der European Association of Urology 2015, M.Spahn

Second prize of the XXXVI edition Perez Castro awards of ARCHIVOS ESPAÑOLES DE UROLOGIA, for the paper “Current role for surgery for high risk prostate cancer” published in Arch. Esp.Urol 2013. Joniau S, Van der Eeckt K, Briganti A, Gontero P, Van Bruwaene S, Jeffrey Karnes R, Spahn M, Van Poppel H; European Multicenter Prostate Cancer Clinical and Translational Research Group (EMPaCT). Arch Esp Urol. 2013 Apr;66(3):259-73, 259-74. English, Spanish.

Best Poster Award, Prostate Cancer Session, Markers II. Annual Meeting of the American Association of Urology, Atlanta, May 19.-23, 2012. Validation of the new biomarker micro-rna-221 to predict cancer related death in high-risk prostate carcinoma – results of a metaanalysis. Spahn, M., Juergen, C., Stroebel, P., Lerut, E., van Poppel, H., Riedmiller, H., Joniau, S., Kneitz, B.

Best Poster Award, Prostate Cancer Session: High risk disease. 27th Congress of the European Association of Urology, Paris, February 24-28, 2012. Outcome of multimodality treatment of cT4 very high-risk prostate cancer with radical prostatectomy as initial step: A multi-institutional outcome study of 62 patients“. Spahn, M., Joniau, S., Abdollah, F., Tutolo, M., Di Trapani, E., Gontero, P., Kneitz, B., Bader, P., Frohneberg, D., Van Poppel, H., Karnes, R.J.

International Urological Oncology Award, European Association of Urology 2011. Outcome predictors of radical prostatectomy in patients with prostate-specific antigen greater than 20 ng/ml: a European multi-institutional study of 712 patients. Spahn M. and Joniau S.

1.Vortragspreis der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Urologie, Hamburg 2011. Micro-RNA-221 is a strong and independent predictor of clinical progression and CSS in high-risk prostate cancer. Spahn M., S. Joniau, S. Kneitz, C.-J. Scholz, C. Kalogirou, E. Lerut, P. Ströbel, M. Schubert, H. van Poppel, H. Riedmiller, B. Kneitz.

Best Poster Award, Prostate Cancer Session: Prostate Cancer localised. Annual Meeting of the American Association of Urology, Washington, May 14-19, 2011. Micro-rna-221 is a strong and independent predictor of clinical progression and css in high-risk prostate cancer. J Urol 2011, Vol. 185, Issue 4, Supplement, e653-e654 Spahn, M., Joniau, S., Kneitz, S., Scholz, C-J., Kalogirou, C., Lerut, E., Ströbel, P., Schubert, M., Van Poppel, H., Riedmiller H. and Kneitz, B.

Best Poster Award, Prostate Cancer Session, 26th Congress of the European Association of Urology, 2011, Vienna, March 18-22. Downregulation of mir-221 is a strong and independent predictor of clinical progression and css in high-risk prostate cancer. Spahn, M., Joniau, S., Kneitz, S., Scholz, C.J., Schubert, M., Kalogiru, C., Lerut, E., Stroebel, P., Van Poppel, H., Riedmiller, H., Kneitz, B.

European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) EORTC tutorial grant on the participation of the ASCO-NCI-EORTC course on diagnostic development 2010

Best Poster Award Session 18, Experimental Oncology, 61. Kongress der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Urologie, Dresden, 16– 19 September 2009. Down-regulation of microRnA-221 hallmarks prostate cancer metastasis and is a predictor of clinical recurrence. Spahn M, Kneitz S, Scholz CJ, Stenger N, Rudiger T, Strobel P, Riedmiller H, Kneitz.B

Best Poster Award, Prostate Cancer Session, Genetic and epigenetic changes in PCa, 24th Congress of the European Association of Urology Stockholm, March 17- 21, 2009. Comparison of mirna profiles in high and intermediate risk prostate carcinoma – role of mir-16 in development and progression of prostate carcinoma. European Urology Supplements 2009;8:316-316. Kneitz B, Kneitz S, Stenger N, Strobel P, Riedmiller H, Spahn M

1.Vortragspreis der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Urologie, Stuttgart, 2008. Kontinente Harnableitung und Nierentransplantation: Langzeitergebnisse. Kocot A., Spahn M., Ardelt P., Löser A., Vergho D.,
Lopau K., Gerharz E., Riedmiller H.

Research focus/cooperations

Research focus: Translational prostate cancer research

since 2018	Deep learning for prostate cancer MRI diagnosis (Dr. Gabrani, IBM Zürich Research Laboratory, PD Dr. Patak, Klinik Hirslanden Zürich)
since 2016	Co-Coordinator, Phase IIIb randomized trial comparing irradiation plus long-term adjuvant androgen deprivation with GnRH antagonist versus GnRH agonist plus flare protection in patients with very high risk localized or locally advanced prostate cancer. A joint study of the EORTC ROG and GUCG (Pegasus), EORTC protocol 1414 ROG-GUCG
since 2014	MRI-characteristics of locally advanced Prostate Cancer (Prof. Hadaschik, PD Dr. Wetter, Universität Essen)
since 2013	Co-PI, Perioperative anti-PD-L1 antibody durvalumab (MEDI4736) in combination with neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with operable urothelial cancer, SAKK 06/17
since 2011	Movember Global Action Plan 6 (GAP6) Oligometastatic Prostate cancer, Steering committee member (Movember foundation, Australia, USA)
since 2007	Identification of genomic determinants of tumor and metastasis heterogeneity of high risk prostate cancer and development of a lethal prostate cancer panel. (Prof. Rubin, PD Dr. Kruithof de Julio, Bern)
since 2007	Tissue Metabolomic profiles and their alterations in surgically treated high risk prostate cancer. Institute of Pathology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (Prof. A. Walch)
since 2007	Serum Metabolomic profiles and their alterations in prostate cancer, University Institute for Clinical Chemistry, University of Bern (Profs. M. Fiedler, C. Largadier)
since 2007	EORTC (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer)
since 2007	Coordinator of the interdisciplinary translational research platform SPECTApros (“Screening Program for Efficient Clinical Trial Access”) (EORTC-1404)
since 2007	Member of the SPECTA steering committee (since 7/2014)
since 2007	Member of the Quality Assurance Committee (since 1/2016)
since 2007	Board Member of the EORTC-Genito Urinary Cancer Group (since 2/2016)
since 2007	Member of the “International Renal Cell Carcinoma-Venous Thrombus Consortium” (IRCC-VTC)
since 2007	Identification and functional characterization of serum circulating microRNAs for prostate cancer risk assessment (DKFZ Hei-delberg, Working Group Clinical Genome Research, Prof. Sültmann).
since 2007	Development of new prognostic biomarkers in prostate cancer, Laboratory of Biosignaling & Therapeutics, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, KU Leuven, Belgium (Prof. Bollen)
since 2007	Molecular Characterization of Tumor Suppressor and Oncomicro-RNAs in vitro and in vivo (Molecular Urooncology University of Würzburg, Dr. Kneitz; Urooncological Research Laboratory University of Bern, Mrs. Dr. M. Kruithof-de Julio, Dr. M. Cecchini)
since 2007	ICo-founder and Steering Committee Member of the “European Clinical and Translational High Risk Prostate Cancer Research Group”
since 2007	Operative treatment of the high-risk prostate cancer
since 2007	Identification and molecular characterization of lethal prostate cancer
since 2007	Biomarker identification and validation