“A treatment type for patients with advanced metastatic non-small cell lung cancer is immunotherapy with PD1 inhibitors. About 30 percent of patients respond well to this treatment, which unfortunately means that the majority of them undergo a treatment that doesn’t work effectively. Other than the costs, this treatment can be quite intense and may lead to side effects. That’s why I wanted to find tumor markers, specific biological traits in the patient, that could help us predict someone’s likelihood of a positive response of the treatment. In the Pathology Department, we can now use a computer algorithm to identify a specific group of immune cells surrounding the tumor in very thin slices of tissue. If we find large numbers of these immune cells, known as tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL), we expect that the treatment will be effective. If we find few or none, a physician can now opt for a different kind of treatment much earlier, and now also sooner, another treatment option. I’m happy that I can contribute to a better diagnosis leading to personalized treatment. I lost my own mother to breast cancer when I was younger, so I know how important this is."
Karlijn Hummelink is currently training as a pathologist at Amsterdam UMC. She will defend her thesis on November 12.
Research at the Netherlands Cancer Institute is financially supported by KWF Dutch Cancer Society.
Promotor(s)
prof. dr. G.A. Meijer & prof. dr. E.F. Smit
Copromotor(s)
K. Monkhorst & dr. D.S. Thommen