"The standard treatment for muscle-invasive bladder cancer is surgery to remove the entire bladder, followed by the creation of a urinary stoma. To improve survival rates, patients are often treated with chemotherapy before the surgery. In the NABUCCO study, we found that patients with locally advanced bladder cancer may also benefit from immunotherapy, specifically with the drugs ipilimumab and nivolumab. In a follow-up study, we not only confirmed these findings but also found that a higher dose of ipilimumab leads to better outcomes. Additionally, we analyzed circulating tumor DNA in the blood of participating patients. This tumor-specific genetic material, which circulates in the bloodstream, proved to be an effective way to predict a positive response to immunotherapy. In the future, this may mean that some patients won’t need major surgery to remove the bladder. I have recently started my training to become a urologist, which includes learning to perform this surgery. While I am excited about mastering this procedure, it would be even more rewarding if such surgeries become unnecessary in the long term."
Jeroen van Dorp will defend his thesis on January 10.
Research at the Netherlands Cancer Institute is financially supported by KWF Dutch Cancer Society.
prof. dr. J.B.A.G. (John) Haanen
M.S. (Michiel) van der Heijden