Best 5 Specialized Cancer Clinics for Immunotherapy In Germany

Germany has become one of Europe’s leading destinations for advanced cancer care, particularly in the field of immunotherapy. In 2022, an estimated 530,000 new cancer cases were expected in Germany, underscoring the potential benefits for many patients of modern systemic therapies, including checkpoint inhibitors, cellular immunotherapies, and personalized cancer vaccines.^[1]

In parallel, oncology is shifting rapidly toward targeted drugs and immune-based treatments. Across Europe, more than 80% of newly approved cancer medicines in recent years have been targeted therapies, and a growing share are immunotherapies that harness the patient’s own immune system to attack tumors.^[2] Large international analyses suggest that roughly 40–50% of patients with advanced cancers are now potentially eligible for checkpoint inhibitor therapy, although only a subset responds, making expert center selection and trial access critical.^[3][4][5] If we add other immuno-oncology options, this percentage may increase, making it more feasible to have reliable specialized centers on demand.

Germany hosts numerous clinics offering immunotherapy, including broad-spectrum university hospitals with immuno-oncology units, private centers, and general facilities with a cancer department.^[6] Yet outcomes and patient experience can vary markedly between hospitals.^[7]

This ranking of the leading clinics for immunotherapy care in Germany is designed to help international patients & doctors, expats, and residents navigate that landscape. It highlights centers where immune-based cancer therapy is not an add-on, but a core strength. These are places that pair strong reputations with measurable outcomes, robust safety standards, and genuinely patient-centered care. Note that we don’t include the large hospitals whose primary focus is not immunological care. Read on to see which clinics stand out if you’re planning targeted cancer therapy in Germany.

Ranking of the Best Immunotherapy Clinic in Germany

Looking for a focused shortlist of Germany’s leading cancer centers for immunotherapy, or want to compare only the very best options? In that case, the table below highlights the top 5 narrow, specialized clinics, their key strengths, and core immune therapy expertise in treating malignant diseases.

* Core immuno-oncology methods were extracted from the primary clinic focus.

**The primary focus of the clinics was clarified by removing irrelevant mentions to highlight oncological diseases & key topics.

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What Makes Immune Therapy Clinics Different

Here we highlight each clinic’s core strengths, immunotherapy expertise, case volumes, research activity, and patient experience. Therefore, you can quickly match your cancer needs with the German clinic best equipped to treat them.

1st: Oncological Clinic Medias in Burghausen

Oncological Clinic Medias Burghausen is a private specialty cancer hospital in Bavaria, boasting over 40 years of experience in complex cancer treatment, including regional chemotherapy, electrochemotherapy, and immunotherapy.^[8]

The immunotherapy program at Oncological Clinic Medias Burghausen centers on personalized cancer vaccination and checkpoint inhibition.^[9] After detailed tumor profiling with whole-exome and RNA sequencing, the team identifies patient-specific neoantigens. It synthesizes a bespoke neoantigen-peptide vaccine designed to trigger a targeted T-cell response against the tumor (a true, individualized tumor/cancer vaccination). Where indicated, this is complemented by checkpoint inhibitors such as PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies (e.g., nivolumab, pembrolizumab, atezolizumab) to release immune "brakes" and amplify the anti-tumor attack.^[10] By coupling these approaches with precise molecular diagnostics, the clinic aims for controlled targeting of tumor mutations. It helps to selectively focus the immune system on the most relevant neoantigens to weaken the tumor profile and prepare it for further immunotherapy.

A distinctive feature at Medias Clinic in the Department of Tumor Biology, led by Biol. Kornelia Aigner, who works alongside surgical oncology. The doctors here have published peer-reviewed studies on immune response during regional chemotherapy, tracking T-lymphocyte, B-cell, and NK-cell subsets, and demonstrating immune activation after regional chemotherapy (changes in CD4+, CD8+, and NK cells).^[11][12]

In parallel, Medias integrates "modern immunotherapy" into its treatment portfolio, utilizing regional chemoperfusion to debulk tumors and modulate the local environment while preserving systemic immune function. It's the conditions under which subsequent systemic therapies, including immunotherapy, can be considered as part of a multimodal plan. This controlled tumor mutation approach can be an option for patients with so-called "cold tumors," which are typically unresponsive to conventional immunotherapies.^[13]

2nd: Immuno-Oncological Center IOZK in Cologne

The Immuno-Oncological Center IOZK in Cologne is a dedicated cancer immunotherapy center that focuses almost exclusively on individualized, multimodal immunotherapy for patients with solid tumors.^[14] Its treatment concept combines several immune-based modalities into one coordinated plan: oncolytic virotherapy with Newcastle Disease Virus, modulated electrohyperthermia, and a patient-specific dendritic cell cancer vaccine (IO-VAC).^[15]

At the heart of IOZK's approach is the IO-VAC cancer vaccine, which utilizes the patient's own dendritic cells loaded with tumor antigens and viral danger signals to prime a robust, tumor-specific T-cell response.^[16] It is a form of highly individualized T-cell therapy designed to achieve long-term immune control of the malignant disease. Around this core, the center incorporates antibody therapy in the form of checkpoint inhibitors, interferon-based immunotherapy protocols, and supportive measures (e.g., hyperthermia, micronutrient optimization) to enhance immune activation while minimizing side effects.

Since 2015, the Immuno-Oncological Center IOZK, led by Dr. med. Wilfried Stucker has held GMP authorization to manufacture the ATMP IO-Vac, an autologous dendritic cell cancer vaccine approved for human use in Germany.^[16]

In this way, the clinic's individualized multimodal immunotherapy combines oncolytic, modulated electrohyperthermia, and dendritic cells.^[17][18] The benefit of this tactic has been reported in multiple evidence-level 1c case series of rare, often advanced tumors.^[19] The multimodal concept is backed by "real-world" series, including 41 children with DIPG and more than 180 adults with glioblastoma treated with individualized multimodal immunotherapy, showing median overall survival up to 22–38 months and a 2-year survival of 39–81%.^[18][20][21]

This centre is best suited for patients with solid tumors, often advanced, recurrent, or deemed difficult to treat with standard protocols, who are seeking an individualized, multimodal immunotherapy treatment.

3rd: Practice Group for Cell Therapy in Duderstadt

Practice Group for Cell Therapy in Duderstadt is a highly specialized outpatient immunotherapy center in Lower Saxony that focuses on cell-based cancer treatment, particularly dendritic cell (DC) vaccines, for adult patients with solid tumors.^[22] Founded in 2008, it operates as a private clinic with 2 medical units, its own GMP-audited laboratory, and 4 independent certificates.^[23]

The core of the clinic’s program is dendritic cell–based immunotherapy led by Dr. rer. nat. Thomas Nesselhut.^[25] During this treatment, monocytes are collected via blood draw or leukapheresis, differentiated into dendritic cells over roughly seven days, and then “trained” with tumor antigens before being re-injected as a personalized cancer vaccine to elicit a targeted T-cell response.^[24] To support this, the group practice operates a shared clean-room facility where physicians manufacture individualized cell-based vaccines under a personal manufacturing license for somatic cell therapeutics, issued in 2012 under §13 of the German Medicines Act.

In glioblastoma, for example, one series reported a median overall survival of approximately 41 months and a 3-year survival rate of 46% when dendritic cell therapy was initiated immediately after standard chemoradiation, compared with significantly shorter survival in historical controls.^[26]

Overall, the Practice Group for Cell Therapy in Duderstadt is typically chosen by patients with advanced or recurrent cancer, often after standard options have been exhausted, who are seeking a personalized dendritic cell vaccine program in a research-active immunotherapy clinic.

4th: Hallwang Private Oncology Clinic in Dornstetten

Hallwang Private Oncology Clinic in Dornstetten is a high-end private cancer center in Germany’s Black Forest, specializing in individualized, precision-based oncology and advanced immunotherapy.^[27] It offers integrated treatment for a broad spectrum of solid and hematologic malignancies. The team here combines conventional modalities (chemotherapy, targeted drugs, radiotherapy) with a strong focus on “personalized” immunotherapies and off-label use of new agents.^[28]

The facility features approximately 16 single and twin rooms, 2 certificates, positioning itself as a boutique inpatient clinic with a high staff-to-patient ratio (one oncologist for roughly 2–3 patients and a close to 1:1 nursing ratio), designed to support patients who often arrive with advanced, heavily pretreated disease.

Immunotherapy at Hallwang Oncology Clinic encompasses a broad range of treatments: standard immune checkpoint inhibitors (anti-PD-1/PD-L1, anti-CTLA-4), antibody–drug conjugates, monoclonal and trifunctional antibodies, as well as “immune priming” strategies and oncolytic virotherapy.^[29] These are typically layered onto molecular profiling and biomarker testing to assemble individualized treatment plans. The clinic emphasizes that, under Germany’s relatively liberal framework for off-label use, it can access drugs and combinations that might not yet be routinely used in other countries.

The clinic drew wider public attention when high-profile celebrities stepped in to support fundraising efforts for patients, including British actress Kate Winslet and American actors and producers Leonardo DiCaprio and Dwayne Johnson.^[30] Hallwang was also brought into the spotlight in the UK media when English actress Leah Bracknell chose to undergo treatment there.^[31]

Hallwang Private Oncology Clinic is typically chosen by international patients with advanced, recurrent, or rare cancers who seek highly individualized treatment plans that combine standard oncology with modern immune therapy solutions. It especially appeals to people willing to travel for intensive, boutique-style inpatient care and access to a broad range of personalized therapeutic options.

5th: Centre of Advanced Medicine in Frankfurt

The Centre of Advanced Medicine in Frankfurt is an integrative clinic that puts biological cancer therapy and immunotherapy at the center of its work.^[32] For over 40 years, an interdisciplinary team has been treating cancer and chronic diseases on a space of more than 1,000 m², combining conventional medicine with extensive biological and natural-therapy approaches. The clinic explicitly lists cancer as a core focus alongside Lyme disease, autoimmune disorders, and other chronic conditions, and reports having treated thousands of patients.^[33]

On the oncology side, the flagship offering is biological immunotherapy built around dendritic cell therapy (DC vaccine) plus a toolbox of infusion-based and physical therapies.^[34] The center lists indications such as metastatic melanoma, glioblastoma, breast, stomach, pancreatic, lung, liver, prostate, ovarian, and other metastatic cancers.^[35]

In parallel, the clinic offers biological immunotherapy infusion programs using agents such as artesunate, curcumin, chlorin-E6 photodynamic therapy, DCA, DMSO, hypericin, vitamin B17, and high-dose vitamin C.^[36] The compounds are designed to modulate the immune system and tumor microenvironment rather than traditional cytotoxic chemotherapy. To support these immune-directed strategies, the Centre of Advanced Medicine also utilizes hyperthermia (local, prostate, or whole-body), apheresis techniques (including immunoadsorption and extracorporeal photopheresis), ozone/oxyvenation, and a range of detoxification and regeneration therapies, all under the umbrella of "biological cancer therapy (immunotherapy)".^{[37][38][39][40]}

Medical director Dr. med. Gerhard Siebenhüner is presented as an expert in complementary oncology and integrative medicine, with extensive experience in practice.^[41] The Centre of Advanced Medicine in Frankfurt is best suited for patients with cancer or chronic, treatment-resistant conditions. Clinic patients typically seek integrative, "biological," and dendritic-cell–based immunotherapy as a complementary or alternative approach to standard hospital oncology.

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Which German Clinic Is Best for You?

Choosing between the five immunotherapy cancer clinics starts with our AiroScore & UserScore systems. Read about these metrics in our methodology for this ranking, which is provided below. Add to this the criteria of locations that should be convenient for the patient. Navigate the Airomedical profile of each centre to explore more details.

Next, we examine the core methods available at each German clinic offering immune therapy and how well they align with your case. Among these options are conventional immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors, virotherapy, biological treatment, and cancer vaccines. Priority is given to centers that actively use the methods most relevant for your tumor type and stage.

Equally important is the primary focus of the clinic in terms of the diseases it treats. Some centers specialize in solid tumors, others in hematologic cancers, and some in rare or advanced cases. We match your diagnosis with cancer clinics that treat similar cases daily.

Finally, we consider additional factors, such as the specialization and seniority of the doctors, the team structure, and distinctive features that match your needs. For example, strong multimodal concepts, access to clinical trials, or particularly developed services for international patients.

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Ranking Methodology for the Best Immune Therapy Clinics In Germany

To establish a reliable ranking of the best clinic in Germany for immunotherapy, Airomedical employs a multi-factor model that combines objective performance-related data with trusted user signals and expert reviews. Each hospital’s final position is a composite, normalized score calculated from the four core factors and additional minor metrics below. We routinely refresh, adjust, and apply safeguards to ensure data completeness and prevent gaming.

Clinics cannot pay to influence placement. Sponsored content, if any, is clearly labeled and kept separate from scoring. For complete definitions, data sources, and factor-level math, consult the corresponding Help Centre pages.

Clinics must have a verifiable identity and provide a minimum of sufficient data to be ranked. We reprocess inputs on a rolling basis and re-run the model when material updates occur (e.g., new certifications, primary outcomes releases).

All factors are placed on comparable scales and weighted to determine a narrow cancer clinic rating specifically for immunotherapy in Germany—emphasizing patient-important outcomes, safety, and validated care quality, while also reflecting access, transparency, and user experience. Ties are broken in the order of clinical outcomes, then safety, and finally, access. When data are incomplete, we apply conservative estimates or omit that metric to avoid unfair bias; missing data never improves a hospital’s rank.

Core Metrics

Below is a brief overview of the core metrics that drive our rankings: AiroScore, UserScore, the Clinical Quality Dataset, and Editorial Verification. This section summarizes what each means and how it fits into the composite score; it’s intentionally high-level. Technical deep-dives for each factor are available in our Help Centre.

Integrated AiroScore

AiroScore is our unified metric that combines verified hospital profile data, such as accreditation of the clinic and its adjacent laboratories, scope of methods within immunotherapy, clinician and departmental strength, transparency in offerings, service quality, profile completeness, and freshness, with aggregated user-behavior signals to create a single, comparable score. It is worth noting that UserScore (below) is one of AiroScore’s sub-components; however, AiroScore also captures broader institutional strength and service readiness. Inputs are standardized to comparable scales, weighted by demonstrated impact on outcomes and patient decision-making, then aggregated into a single score.

Patient Experience via UserScore

UserScore evaluates the credibility and substance of user feedback - not just star averages. Each review is assigned a TrustScore based on the integrity of its source, reviewer signals, and the quality of its content. We also model credibility over time (periodicity and history), reviewer diversity, case complexity, review volume and recency, and textual specificity (e.g., mentions of care coordination, nursing, discharge, digital touchpoints). The result is a robust user-experience measure that resists outliers and fake or low-information reviews.

Comprehensive Statistical Clinical Quality Dataset

This factor summarizes risk-adjusted clinical performance and operational reliability, as reported by trusted statistical sources. It spans outcomes and patient safety, experience and access, workforce and efficiency, education and innovation, technology/data compliance, and key specialty process checks. Among the immunotherapy-specific factors are the number of studies within the field, results, and scope of scientific papers presented by a particular clinic, as well as patents and registration details for innovative methods. Metrics are normalized and case-mix adjusted where relevant, and then rolled into a single clinical-quality subscore.

Editorial Verification

Before publication, our editorial team conducts manual checks to verify identities, resolve data discrepancies, confirm unusual values, and review borderline rank changes. Editors verify critical details (e.g., certification status, actual availability of the mentioned core methods) and approve the final list to minimize technical errors. Human oversight remains an essential safeguard.

Additional Factors

To ensure the list reflects Germany’s immunotherapy landscape, we also review each clinic’s primary focus and use core methods within the Airomedical tag-based system. This does not reward or penalize the clinic itself; it helps avoid overconcentration, covers the whole spectrum of immune therapy variants, and ensures the final selection serves the needs of patients.

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References

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