Immunotherapy helps many people with lung cancer, but it does not work for everyone. Right now, we cannot predict who will benefit, and sometimes patients get more treatment than they need. These medicines are expensive and can harm the environment. This approach is not sustainable.
This thesis looks at a better way: personalized care. After six weeks, a blood test can show if the treatment is not working for someone. Often, a lower dose or longer breaks between treatments work just as well to keep the cancer under control. Many patients can also stop taking medicines for other illnesses they no longer have.
For patients, this means less intensive treatment, fewer side effects, and a better quality of life. For society, this approach lowers healthcare costs and is better for the environment. It helps make good cancer care available to everyone.
Fenna de Vries (1994) studied Pharmacy in Utrecht and Leiden and worked in community and hospital pharmacies during and after her studies. In 2021, she began her graduation research at OLVG, which she continued from 2022 onward as PhD research at OLVG and Radboud university medical center, combined with training as a clinical pharmacologist.