“Are there better ways to predict the optimal dose of a particular therapy for a patient with cancer? It would make sense that not every patient would require the exact same dose – for chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and oral oncolytics. During my PhD research, we investigated whether our current dosing strategies are optimal for patients with non-small cell lung cancer. The current dosing is often adjusted to the patient’s individual characteristics, such as their build, instead of those of the average patient. But a person’s organ function can be a much better predictor for exposure to a drug. If a patient’s kidneys do not work so well, the anticancer drug may not be shed properly: it will stay in the body longer, causing too much exposure. If you don’t adjust the dose in advance, this could cause side effects. It’s a great idea for me to be able to help patients in this way. As of January, I have been training at the OLVG hospital as a hospital pharmacist.”
René will defend his thesis on May 30.