The Dutch Cancer Society (KWF Kankerbestrijding) has announced on May 24, 2022, that it will invest almost € 13 million in 19 studies that will start this year aimed at cancer treatment and prevention. More than € 3.3 million of this will go to 6 research projects at Amsterdam UMC Cancer Center Amsterdam.

This year, for the first time, there will be separate funding rounds for fundamental research (July and December) and applied research (May and November). This first funding round is within the KWF program Clinical Research & Implementation (in Dutch: Programma Onderzoek en Implementatie, PO&I), which funds projects conducting phase II/III clinical trials, or studies on methods to promote the delivery and implementation of new diagnostics or treatments.

Funded Cancer Center Amsterdam Research Projects

Dr. Michiel Greidanus: Cost-effectiveness of the online MiLES intervention aimed at employers, to promote successful return to work of (ex) cancer patients (€463,348.97). Research team: Dr. Sietske Tamminga, Dr. Angela de Boer and Prof. Allard van der Beek.

Dr. Constantijne Mom: Immunotherapy in cervix carcinoma (ITHACA): safety, toxicity and immunologic effect of peritumorally injected nivolumab and ipilimumab in patients with early-stage cervical cancer (€ 697,183.70). Research team: Prof. Tanja de Gruijl and Dr. Katja Jordanova.

Dr. Olga Damman: Communication of numerical outcome information to patients with low health literacy/numerical skills (€ 738,057.95). Research team: Dr. Marijke Melles, Prof. Danielle Timmermans, Prof. Hanneke van Laarhoven, and Prof. Ellen Smets.

Dr. Maaike Bleeker: The VENUS study: a disease marker test towards a better (more targeted) treatment for women with precancerous vulvar cancer (€503,840.21). Research team: Prof. Renske Steenbergen, Dr. Marc van Beurden, and Prof. Hans Berkhof.

Dr. Jurriaan Tuynman: OLIPEC; curative treatment for patients with peritoneal and limited liver and/or lung metastases by combination chemotherapy and metastasis treatment and HIPEC (€ 494,987.00). Research team: Dr. Geraldine Vink and Prof. Pieter Tanis.

Prof. Han Anema: Less practice variation, more optimal care: How do you implement an improvement dashboard for lung cancer surgery in practice? (€478,488.60). Research team: Erik Von Meyenfeld.

For more information contact Cancer Center Amsterdam - Amsterdam UMC, or read the full KWF announcement here (in Dutch).