On Tuesday 30 April 2024, C.W.F. van Eijck will defend the doctoral thesis titled: ‘Innovate to Elevate Pancreatic Cancer Care: Immunity leading the way in precision medicine‘.
- Promotor
- Co-promotor
- Co-promotor
- Date
- Tuesday 30 Apr 2024, 13:00 - 14:30
- Type
- PhD defence
- Space
- Professor Andries Querido room
- Building
- Education Center
- Location
- Erasmus MC
- More information
The public defence will begin exactly at 13.00 hrs. The doors will be closed once the public defence starts, latecomers can access the hall via the fourth floor. Due to the solemn nature of the ceremony, we recommend that you do not take children under the age of 6 to the first part of the ceremony.
Brief summary of the doctoral thesis:
Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive malignancy with the lowest 5-year survival rate within the field of oncology, ranking third as a cause of cancer-related death in the United States and Europe. Despite years of dedicated research into treatments for pancreatic cancer, improvements in survival rates have been marginal due to multiple challenges. Patients often receive diagnoses at advanced stages, a consequence of the tumor’s aggressive behavior and their asymptomatic presentation. Furthermore, there is inter-patient variability in tumor characteristics, resulting in diverse responses to conventional therapies. The absence of available biomarkers for treatment response further complicates clinical decision-making. The foremost factor compromising treatment efficacy is the pancreatic tumor microenvironment (TME), distinguished by its complexity, immunosuppressive nature, and patient heterogeneity. This thesis presents the results of studies aimed at unraveling the immunological landscape of pancreatic cancer and exploring avenues to guide personalized treatment options.