"For patients who have exhausted all treatment options, it can feel like all hope is lost. In a large clinical study, we have now treated over 1,500 cancer patients who had no regular treatment options left, using the DNA profile of the tumor. We did this with targeted therapies or immunotherapy. We found that about a third of these patients benefited from the treatment. At patient symposiums, I spoke with a few of these patients. Some had almost given up, but now they’re doing well again. That is truly special, that's what you do it for. In this study, we also treated patients with immunotherapy, based on microsatellite instability. Tumors with microsatellite instability have many errors in the DNA, because the mechanism responsible for repairing DNA doesn’t work properly. More than half of these patients benefited from the immunotherapy. Very impressive! I’m currently working as a non-training physician at the Internal Medicine department of St. Antonius Hospital in Nieuwegein. After a few years of research, it's also great to be back at the bedside again."
Birgit Geurts will defend her thesis on September 10. Good luck, Birgit!
prof. dr. E.E. (Emile) Voest
H.M.W. (Henk) Verheul