Many patients with lung cancer and oesophageal cancer receive radiotherapy as part of their treatment. Heart and lungs are then often inevitably ‘co-radiated’. This can lead to reduced heart function and sometimes death. Peter van Luijk wants to investigate whether a combination of medication can prevent this. This medication works in non-oncology patients with similar decline in heart function. The aim of this study is to find the right combination of medication that counteracts damage that occurs shortly after irradiation, with medication that actually counteracts heart damage that occurs later.
Peter van Luijk hopes this will prevent heart damage: ‘That will improve the uality of life of patients. It might even prevent patients from dying prematurely. If it proves effective, it might be possible to make the radiation dose in the tumour higher in patients who need it.' He is conducting his research first in an experimental animal model. By combining the results of this pre-clinical study with a clinical trial previously funded by KWF, Van Luijk hopes to determine which patients will benefit most from this combination of drugs. 'The grant for the Clarify clinical study was awarded in 2018 and the study continues until the end of 2026. In that study, we measure the changes in heart function of patients. In it, we are trying to determine the relationship with radiotherapy, so that we will indeed know which patients will experience this side effect and may benefit from the medication we are testing in our new project.'
Patients with head and neck cancer who are malnourished before their treatment starts are more likely to suffer from complications and adverse effects during and after their surgery or (chemo) radiotherapy. Patients at high risk of malnutrition are therefore routinely counselled by a dietician. Loss of muscle strength and muscle mass also leads to more complications and side effects. Often this loss of muscle function goes hand in hand with malnutrition. Inge Wegner wants to find out whether it makes sense to have patients with a low or average risk of malnutrition and loss of muscle function counselled by a dietician prior to treatment. She will investigate whether this leads to fewer complications and (chemo)radiotherapy toxicity for this group of head and neck cancer patients. She will follow the patients for two years.
Inge Wegner expects the dietary recommendations to lead to fewer and less serious complications and side effects. 'I also hope these measures will lead to a higher quality of life, a lower chance of cancer recurrence and better survival. And that these recommendations lead to lower costs; also because patients can, for example, return to work earlier or continue working longer.'
