Sigrid V. Carlsson, MD, PhD, MPH

Sigrid V. Carlsson, MD, PhD, MPH

DKFZ German Cancer Research Center

Heidelberg, Germany

Sigrid V. Carlsson, MD, PhD, MPH, is the Division Head of the Clinical Epidemiology of Early Cancer Detection at DKFZ German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg, Germany. Her research focuses on developing risk-stratified approaches to screening, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. 

Dr. Carlsson earned her MD and PhD from Gothenburg University in Sweden. She earned an MPH from Harvard in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Carlsson has been funded by the Prevent Cancer Foundation to develop a decision support tool for prostate cancer screening. She holds a career development award from the National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute, mentored by Drs. Jennifer Hay and Jada Hamilton, to optimize the practical application of shared decision-making and implementing risk-stratified approaches to screening and follow-up in oncology.

Dr. Carlsson serves on the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) and is a panel member for the American Urological Association (AUA) guidelines for early detection of prostate cancer. She has authored and co-authored over 300 publications and has been featured in Société Internationale d’Urologie Journal, The Journal of Urology, European Urology, Clinical Chemistry, Urologic Oncology Seminars and Original Investigations, and more.

Talks by Sigrid V. Carlsson, MD, PhD, MPH

ChatGPT and AI for Academic Urologists: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

ChatGPT and AI for Academic Urologists: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

| Sep 2024

Sigrid V. Carlsson, MD, PhD, MPH, explores the role of generative AI, particularly large language models (LLMs), in enhancing academic and research activities, while highlighting both the benefits and challenges associated with these technologies. In this 8-minute talk, she focuses on LLMs, such as ChatGPT, Grammarly, and Google Gemini, which produce text and are widely used by researchers to improve grammar, style, and clarity.

The presentation also addresses significant ethical and practical concerns related to AI usage. Dr. Carlsson stresses that AI should not be treated as a substitute for human expertise but as a supplementary tool that requires diligent oversight.

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Who Needs a Prostate Biopsy? Risk-stratification Strategies Before Prostate Biopsy

Who Needs a Prostate Biopsy? Risk-stratification Strategies Before Prostate Biopsy

| Sep 2024

Sigrid V. Carlsson, MD, PhD, MPH, discusses the evolving paradigm in prostate cancer diagnostics, moving away from the traditional model where an elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level directly leads to a biopsy. In this 8-minute talk, she emphasizes the importance of incorporating risk stratification methods before proceeding to biopsy, which helps reduce unnecessary interventions.

Dr. Carlsson discusses current guidelines that recommend using MRI as part of the initial biopsy strategy, with a more mandatory role in repeat biopsy settings if it has not previously been performed. Risk calculators provide a cost-effective and accessible means to estimate the likelihood of high-grade disease, further refining the decision-making process.

The presentation also highlights the rapid advancement in biomarkers and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in improving MRI interpretation and enhancing prostate cancer diagnostics’ accuracy and efficiency.

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Year in Review: Emerging Data and Advances in Prostate Cancer Screening

Year in Review: Emerging Data and Advances in Prostate Cancer Screening

| Feb 2024

Sigrid V. Carlsson, MD, PhD, MPH, presents an overview of advances and emerging trends in prostate cancer screening in 2023. Dr. Carlson begins by presenting data supporting the continued use of routine PSA tests for prostate cancer screening, while highlighting the need for more granular risk stratification based on individual PSA baselines to bridge existing mortality gaps based on individual PSA baselines.

Dr. Carlsson then examines current trends in using genetics for biopsy risk stratification. She presents evidence that the polygenic risk scores which predict prostate cancer incidence are not useful in predicting mortality. She then discusses the role of biomarkers, risk calculators, and MRI-based screening techniques that are available pre-biopsy.

Turning to emerging data, Dr. Carlsson concludes by presenting a selection of national and international ongoing efforts to develop risk-stratified algorithms for early prostate cancer detection. She touches on the European Union’s “Praise U” initiative, Germany’s “PROBASE” trial, the Stockholm 3 trial, and the ProScreen study.

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