Four research teams can get started thanks to KWF Dutch Cancer Society

12-12-2023

Four new scientific studies can start after getting the green light from funder Dutch Cancer Society today. They will test a new treatment combination for ovarian cancer, figure out which patients with rectal cancer do not need surgery, and create a smart device that allows surgeons to scan the margins of the resected tissue for cancer cells during surgery.

New combination treatment

Physicians can conduct a (phase I/II) study led by gynecologist Willemien van Driel, combining two treatments for ovarian cancer: HIPEC and PARP inhibitors. This condition has often already metastasized in the abdomen by the time it is diagnosed. Patients can live longer through treatment with chemotherapy and surgery, but unfortunately the condition often returns. With the Dutch Cancer Society grant, the team can investigate whether the combination treatment with HIPEC and PARP-inhibitors could prevent the disease from returning, and whether it can improve survival.

Surgery or checkups?

Radiologist Monique Maas will receive a Young Investigator Grant from KWF Dutch Cancer Society to study which rectal cancer patients can forego surgery after their pretreatment with radiation and chemotherapy. This organ-sparing treatment involves coming in for regular checkups instead of surgery. The odds of disease recurrence after successful pretreatment (near-complete response) are currently unclear. Monique Maas wants to provide more clarity with this project, together with all Dutch centers that provide organ-sparing treatment.

Handheld scanner for surgeons

Researchers led by surgeon Theo Ruers will create a handheld scanner for excised tissue. Surgeons often cannot see or feel the edges of the tumor very well during surgery. As a result, tumor cells are sometimes left behind during surgery and discovered after, meaning that the patient will need additional treatment. With this new device, the researchers want to allow surgeons to scan the tissue during surgery. This would allow them to intervene right away if they see that the margins of the resected tissue contain cancer cells. The scanner combines ultrasound and optical spectroscopy, allowing it to reveal both the structure and the molecular properties of the tissue. They will use the KWF Dutch Cancer Society grant to test the scanner on tissue from breast cancer surgeries.

Organ-sparing treatment

Together with surgeon Hans de Wilt of Radboudumc, surgeon Brechtje Grotenhuis and radiotherapist Corrie Marijnen will investigate whether they can offer more rectal cancer patients an organ-sparing treatment. Grotenhuis: "Many patients with rectal cancer have a stoma and permanent symptoms after surgery. It would be great if we could spare people that surgery." This week KWF Dutch Cancer Society awarded a grant to these 3 principal investigators, enabling them to start the study.

Four research teams can get started thanks to KWF Dutch Cancer Society

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