“Honestly, I never expected to pursue my PhD. It's always been my goal to become an internist—but to reach that goal, a PhD is considered an advantage. I found myself in a unique research group led by Sabine Linn. Her group is a great example of the way in which fundamental research can find its way into clinical practice. My research has the same objective. I studied a large group of young patients who had been diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer. All patients were under 40 and had received treatment consisting of surgery and radiotherapy in the 90s. About twenty percent of these patients displayed a high number of immune cells in the tumor. As a result, this group of women had a good chance of survival, even without chemotherapy. Further research will determine whether women with these characteristics may be able to forego chemotherapy in the future. This kind of research really affects the lives of these women, especially those who may still wish to have children. I now work at the Alrijne Hospital in Leiderdorp. In January, I will continue my training to become an internist.”
Vincent will defend his thesis on November 14.
prof. dr. S.C. Linn
dr. F. Hilbers