“About 4 in 100 women who have lost one of their breasts due to breast cancer, end up developing a new tumor in the other breast. That's clearly a frightening idea. For that reason, an increasing number of women request to have that second breast removed as a preventive measure, especially after the news that Angelina Jolie had made this same decision for herself. But unlike Angelina Jolie, the vast majority of women don't need this preventive intervention. For my PhD research, we developed statistical models that can help women (and doctors) with this difficult choice. Using a lot of data including age, lifestyle, and genetic factors, we can create an estimate of the risk of developing a second tumor. Of course, the women themselves can make the final choice. Incidentally, men can also develop breast cancer. I dedicated my thesis to a former (male) colleague and friend who had breast cancer some years ago. I am from Italy myself, but believe it or not, I love boerenkoolstamppot (kale stew)!”
Daniele successfully defended his thesis on September 8. Congratulations, Daniele!
This research was financially supported by the Dutch Cancer Society and Alpe d’HuZes.
Promotor
prof.dr. M.K. Schmidt, prof.dr. E.W. Steyerberg & prof.dr. M. Hauptmann