Competing interests

Maggie Banys-Paluchowski: Honoraria for lectures and advisory role from: Roche, Novartis, Pfizer, pfm, Eli Lilly, Onkowissen, Seagen, AstraZeneca, Eisai, Amgen, Samsung, Canon, MSD, GSK, Daiichi Sankyo, Gilead, Sirius Medical, Syantra, resitu, Pierre Fabre, ExactSciences, Menarini Stemline; Study support: EndoMag, Mammotome, MeritMedical, Sirius Medical, Gilead, Hologic, ExactSciences, Claudia von Schilling Foundation for Breast Cancer Research, Ehmann-Stiftung Savognin; Travel reimbursement: Eli Lilly, ExactSciences, Pierre Fabre, Pfizer, Daiichi Sankyo, Roche Hans-Christian Kolberg: Honorare for lectures and advisory role from Pfizer, Seagen, Novartis, Roche, Genomic Health/Exact Sciences, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Riemser, Carl Zeiss Meditec, TEVA, Theraclion, Janssen-Cilag, GSK, LIV Pharma, Lilly, SurgVision, Onkowissen, Gilead, Daiichi Sankyo and MSD, Travel support from Carl Zeiss meditec, LIV Pharma, Novartis, Amgen, Pfizer, Daiichi Sankyo, Gilead, Roche, Onkowissen and Tesaro; Stock ofTheraclion SA. Jana de Boniface: Honoraria for lectures for Astra Zeneca, Lily and Novartis Nina Ditsch: Advisory Boards: Gilead, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Seagen, Exact Sciences, Lectures: AstraZeneca, Daiichi-Sankyo, Exact Sciences, Pierre-Fabre, I-Med-Institute, Merit-Medical, pfm medical ag, Medi-Seminar GmbH, Roche, Lilly, Pfizer, Gilead, Novartis, Manuscript: pfm medical ag, Trial funding: Gilead, BZKF, Other: Onkowissen, Jörg Eickeler Kongress, if-Kongress Vesna Bjelic-Radisic: Honoraria for lectures and advisory role from: Roche, Novartis, Pfizer, pfm, Eli Lilly, AstraZeneca, Gilead, Sirius Medical, Pierre Fabre, Mammotome, Travel reimbursement: Pierre Fabre, Pfizer Maria Luisa Gasparri: Consultant for Merit Medical Nikolas Tauber: Honoraria for lectures and participation in advisory boards: Novartis, ExactSciences, Georg Thieme Verlag. Support for attending meetings from Astra Zeneca Marc Thill: Advisory Board: Agendia, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Aurikamed, Becton/Dickinson, Biom ‘Up, ClearCut, Clovis, Daiichi Sankyo, Eisai, Exact Sciences, Gilead Science, Grünenthal, GSK, Lilly, MSD, Neodynamics, Novartis, Onkowissen, Organon, Pfizer, pfm Medical, Pierre-Fabre, Roche, Seagen, Sirius Medical, Sysmex; Manuscript support: Amgen, ClearCut, Clovis, Lilly, Organon, pfm medical, Roche, Servier; Travel expenses: Amgen, Art Tempi, AstraZeneca, Clearcut, Clovis, Connect Medica, Daiichi Sankyo, Eisai, Exact Sciences, Gilead, Hexal, I-Med-Institute, Lilly, MSD, Neodynamics, Novartis, Pfizer, pfm Medical, Roche, RTI Surgical, Seagen, ZP Therapeutics; Congress support: Amgen, AstraZeneca, Celgene, Daiichi Sanyko, Gilead, Hexal, Lilly, Neodynamics, Novartis, Pfizer, Pierre Fabre, Roche, Sirius Medical; Lecture honoraria: Agendia, Amgen, Art Tempi, AstraZeneca, Clovis, Connect Medica, Eisai, Endomag, Exact Sciences, Gedeon Richter, Gilead Science, GSK, Hexal, I-Med-Institute, Jörg Eickeler, Laborarztpraxis Walther et al., Lilly, Medscape, MSD, Novartis, Onkowissen, Pfizer, pfm medical, Roche, Seagen, StreamedUp, Stemline, Sysmex, Vifor, Viatris, ZP Therapeutics; Trial Funding: Endomag, Exact Sciences; Trial honoraria: AstraZeneca, Biom’Up, CairnSurgical, Clearcut, Neodynamics, Novartis, pfm medical, Roche, RTI Surgical. Other authors declare no competing interests.

Ethical approval

This study was performed in line with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Approval was granted by the Ethics Committee of University Aachen, Germany (Date: April 28, 2020, Number: EK 013/20).

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.