Lana Smiljanic

I trained as a radiation oncologist at Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS in Rome, where my final thesis explored whether imaging, genomic and gut microbiome data could be combined to improve response prediction in rectal cancer. In February 2026, I joined the Sonke Group at the Netherlands Cancer Institute. Under the supervision of Alice Couwenberg and Brechtje Grotenhuis, my PhD research focuses on making radiotherapy for rectal cancer more personalized. Using clinical and biological data, particularly from the RAPIDO and STAR-TREC trials, I investigate treatment response, organ preservation, toxicity, radiotherapy quality and radiation-induced lymphopenia.