The Netherlands Cancer Institute

🔬 This weekend is Weekend of Science, the perfect time to learn more about the fascinating world of cell biology. At the Netherlands Cancer Institute, researcher Jonne Raaijmakers is looking to find an answer to the question: 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐫𝐮𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐍𝐀 𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞? Curious about the new leads that they have found? Watch the video! #NKI #WvdW #research #cancerresearch

🔬 This weekend is Weekend of Science, the perfect time to learn more about the fascinating world of cell biology. At the Netherlands Cancer Institute, researcher Bram Thijssen is looking to find an answer to the question: 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐬? Curious about the main difference? Watch the video! #NKI #WvdW #research #cancerresearch

🔬 This weekend is Weekend of Science, the perfect time to learn more about the fascinating world of cell biology. At the Netherlands Cancer Institute, researcher Maria Azkanaz is looking to find an answer to the question: 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫? Curious about this piece of the puzzle? Watch the video! #NKI #WvdW #research #cancerresearch

🔬 Fundamental research is the foundation of breakthroughs in cancer research. At the Netherlands Cancer Institute, our scientists work hard every day to uncover new insights that could lead to better treatments. Thanks to fundamental research, we have been able to develop immunotherapy, for example, and paved the way for new techniques like DNA sequencing. This weekend is 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, the perfect time to learn more about the fascinating world of cell biology, genetics, and immunotherapy. Curious? Watch our video and discover how we use fundamental research to expand the boundaries of science. #NKI #WvdW #research #cancerresearch

𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐔𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐊𝐈 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐒𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐮𝐦!🧬 Discover cutting-edge insights into DNA replication and its critical role in cell fate, chromatin regulation, and cancer transformation. On November 20-21, 2024, the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI) is hosting a meeting in Amsterdam focused on novel fundamental insights on genome stability and its implications for human health. This event, featuring the renowned EU Doctoral Network Replifate (replifate.eu), will bring together international experts ranging from experts on early embryonic development to biochemistry, structural biology, mouse models and replication genomics, as well as drug discovery. The goal? To spark novel collaborations and drive advancements. 𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝑨𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒅? ✔️Engage with top-tier international and national speakers. ✔️Participate in poster sessions, short talks, and dynamic discussions. ✔️Network with leading researchers across diverse fields. Mark your calendars and join us in shaping the future of replication research! ➡️ https://bit.ly/3Y8puj8 #NKI #NKIReplifate #DNARelication #GenomeStability #CancerResearch #Replifate2024

While the Dutch House of Representatives, the Tweede Kamer, is handling the general financial considerations (AFB) today and tomorrow, a dark cloud looms over the country. This government intends to cut 1 billion euros in research and education. This shortsightedness will have a tremendous impact on innovations of medicine and treatments for the still growing group of cancer patients of the future. The Netherlands Cancer Institute, its clinic and its research institute, and KWF Dutch Cancer Society previously expressed their concerns about this government and the way it turns a blind eye to this country's most common illness ➡️ https://bit.ly/4d8w2T4 #NKI #KWF #OCW #AFB #NWO

Immunotherapy as a treatment for an aggressive form of breast cancer appears to be effective even without chemotherapy, according to research from the Netherlands Cancer Institute. Patients with triple-negative breast cancer and a high number of immune cells saw a complete disappearance of the tumor after only immunotherapy treatment. This would be a significant advancement as it could prevent overtreatment and side effects associated with chemotherapy. Triple-negative breast cancer is an aggressive type of breast cancer that often grows fast and metastasizes more quickly than other types of breast cancer. Approximately 2,000 to 3,000 women in the Netherlands are diagnosed with this type of cancer every year. The current standard treatment consists of four types of chemotherapy in combination with immunotherapy. It is not currently clear, however, which patients benefit from this combination treatment, and which patients are subject to over-treatment: when patients are unnecessarily exposed to more therapies than they need, which can lead to unnecessary side effects. Medical oncologist and researcher Marleen Kok: “Previous international research has shown that adding immunotherapy to standard chemotherapy treatment improves the survival in early-stage triple-negative breast cancer. The BELLINI trial may offer an alternative for these patients.” In the trial, the researchers show that immunotherapy with nivolumab and ipilimumab can be an effective treatment for triple-negative breast cancer. These drugs boost the immune system, which can help to prevent over-treatment and side effects associated with chemotherapy. The results of the trial were presented on the 16th of September by PhD candidate and pathology resident Iris Nederlof at the ESMO - European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress in Barcelona, and have been published in Nature Medicine. Read more ➡️ https://bit.ly/3BfltjL #NKI #triplenegativebreastcancer #immunotherapy #oncology #cancerresearch

🎓 “𝐈'𝐦 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬” “Hodgkin Lymphoma is a type of cancer that can affect people at a young age. Unfortunately, we often see late side effects in patients as they age, even after successful treatment. Patients have an increased risk of developing a second tumor or cardiovascular disease. Women can also experience early menopause. But how are these risks related? That’s what I wanted to investigate. Many patients were irradiated around the chest. The higher the dose, the greater the risk of developing breast cancer. Even men have an increased risk. In women, we found a protective effect for every year of premature menopause. While Hodgkin survivors do have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease, I didn’t find a link to their hormone levels. I'm incredibly interested in uncovering these kinds of connections. I’m not a doctor, but I still feel like I can contribute. My research can be used to create new clinical guidelines. I hope to achieve something similar in my current job at VeiligheidNL, where I conduct research on the often young people who end up in the emergency room after accidents, such as those involving fatbikes. Hopefully, this research could eventually lead to new safety policies.” Inge Krul will defend her thesis on September 24 ➡️ https://bit.ly/4ezWhTo #PhD #PhDlife #thesisdefense #nki #hogdkins

“𝐖𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐬” "Not long after starting my studies, I discovered how valuable oncology is. I was immediately interested in being able to provide quality care and support patients. At the same time, I've always been fascinated by the way cancer behaves in the body. Triple-negative breast cancer, for example, is an aggressive tumor that can recur quickly, even after treatment. There is growing evidence that women with tumors surrounded by a great number of lymphocytes have a higher chance of survival. Some of these women might not even need chemotherapy. In my research, I looked at other characteristics that can help us estimate someone’s chances of survival. We found that the presence of tumor cells in blood and/or lymphatic vessels (lymphovascular invasion), as well as scar tissue within the tumor, are associated with a less favorable prognosis. If we discover one of these characteristics, chemotherapy treatment will be a crucial part of the treatment, even in case of a high lymphocyte count. I also coordinated two clinical studies and became a mother of three children during my PhD. During my pregnancies, it could be rather confronting to talk to patients who had young kids." Leonora de Boo will defend her thesis on September 23 ➡️ https://bit.ly/3MUv4yY #PhD #PhDlife #thesisdefense #nki #triplenegativebreastcancer

Last week, researchers and physicians from the NKI shared the world stage at the annual European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress in Barcelona. We would like to look back at some highlights from #ESMO24! 🔵 5 wonderful days filled with lectures, poster presentations, networking, and exploring new collaborations 🔵 A lifetime achievement award for John Haanen 🔵 A lot of attention for breast cancer, especially TNBC, with presentations from Marleen Kok, Manon de Graaf, Iris Nederlof and Sabine Linn 🔵 Results of the NICHE-2 and NICHE-3 studies by Myriam Chalabi and Peter de Gooyer 🔵 Presentation of various other study results by Neeltje Steeghs, Prof Dr Christian Blank, Reuven Agami, Eva Schaake, Wilbert Zwart, Minke Lucas, Remond Fijneman, Michiel van der Heijden, Winette van der Graaf, Kevin Groot Lipman, Winan van Houdt, Gerrina Ruiter, and many others. 🔵 Myriam Chalabi announced as scientific co-chair of ESMO25 Already looking forward to #ESMO2025! #CancerResearch #NKI #congress