Brief profile
Megha Bhardwaj is a senior postdoctoral researcher at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), where she completed her PhD after graduating from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. Her work centers on the development and evaluation of risk-tailored approaches for cancer prevention, particularly in lung, prostate, and colorectal cancers.
Expertise
Megha Bhardwaj’s expertise bridges clinical epidemiology and translational oncology, with a particular emphasis on lung cancer. She specializes in the analysis of complex, high-dimensional multi-omics datasets from large population-based cohorts to uncover biologically meaningful insights. Her work aims to translate epidemiological and molecular evidence into clinically relevant strategies for cancer prevention, early detection, personalized risk assessment, and prediction of treatment response.
- Biomarkers for Early Cancer Detection
- Translational Oncology
- Clinical Epidemiology
- Lung Cancer
Bhardwaj, M., Frick, C., Schottker, B., Holleczek, B., & Brenner, H. (2026). Next-generation proteomics improves lung cancer risk prediction. Mol Oncol, 20(4), 995–1007. https://doi.org/10.1002/1878-0261.70166
Frick, C., Hallsson, L. R., Siebert, U., Bhardwaj, M., Schottker, B., & Brenner, H. (2025). Risk-Adapted Lung Cancer Screening Starting Ages for Former Smokers. JAMA Netw Open, 8 (12), e2551281. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.51281
Brenner, H., Frick, C., Seum, T., & Bhardwaj, M. (2024). Pitfalls in interpreting calibration in comparative evaluations of risk models for precision lung cancer screening. NPJ Precis Oncol, 8 (1), 281. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41698-024-00785-6
Bhardwaj, M., Schöttker, B., Holleczek, B., & Brenner, H. (2023). Enhanced selection of people for lung cancer screening using AHRR (cg05575921) or F2RL3 (cg03636183) methylation as biological markers of smoking exposure. Cancer Commun (Lond), 43(8), 956–959. https://doi.org/10.1002/cac2.12450
Bhardwaj, M., Schöttker, B., Holleczek, B., & Brenner, H. (2022). Comparison of discrimination performance of 11 lung cancer risk models for predicting lung cancer in a prospective cohort of screening-age adults from Germany followed over 17 years. Lung Cancer, 174, 83–90. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lungcan.2022.10.011
Lung Research - Projects
1. Lung Cancer Screening: Minimizing Harm and Maximizing Benefit
The LUCAS project focuses on improving the effectiveness and efficiency of lung cancer screening programs through early detection and precision risk stratification. We develop and validate predictive tools that combine proteomic and epigenetic biomarkers to identify individuals most likely to benefit from screening. In parallel, decision-analytic and health-economic modeling is used to evaluate screening outcomes, potential harms, and cost-effectiveness at the population level.
2. Lung Cancer-Related Risk Factors and Their Impact Assessment
The LUCIA project aims to systematically characterize established and emerging risk factors contributing to lung cancer development. It adopts a broad, multi-layered approach integrating personal exposures, external determinants, and biological responses across genetic, metabolic, and ageing-related processes. A central objective is the development of an integrated analytical toolbox combining cohort data, AI-driven models, multi-omics profiling, wearable technologies, and sensor-based measurements to elucidate how diverse domains interact in lung carcinogenesis.
3. Personalized Risk Integration for Monitoring Lung Cancer
The PRISM project focuses on developing a more personalized approach to lung cancer screening by defining risk-adapted starting ages. Using longitudinal population-based cohort data from individuals with a history of heavy smoking, advanced statistical modeling and risk postponement analyses are applied to quantify how lung cancer risk changes over time.