"In hindsight, you could say that I was exactly in the right place at the right time. I was able to contribute to the first studies on the effectiveness of immunotherapy in patients with stage III melanoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer that had spread to the nearby lymph nodes. We wanted to find out if administering immunotherapy before surgery would be a good idea. It turned out that more than three-quarters of the patients responded well to the treatment. In the majority of patients, there were almost no tumor cells left. Additionally, we observed that the immune system was activated more effectively than when we gave immunotherapy after the surgery. However, many patients unfortunately experienced severe side effects. For that reason, we initiated a second study to see if we could adjust the dosage. That also turned out to be a good idea. I still clearly remember the evening when we shared the results with the patients and their families or loved ones. It was a very special moment. I am currently pursuing my training in Internal Medicine at UMC Utrecht, where I have been specializing in hematology since last year."
Lisette Rozeman will defend her thesis on January 7. Good luck, Lisette!
Research at the Netherlands Cancer Institute is financially supported by KWF Dutch Cancer Society.
prof. dr. C.U. Blank & prof. dr. J.B.A.G. Haanen