The Cancer Epidemiology Department of the Netherlands Cancer Institute Amsterdam
The Cancer Epidemiology Department of the Netherlands Cancer Institute Amsterdam focuses on two principal research programmes:
Late adverse effects of cancer treatment
The objectives of this research are to study the long-term health consequences of the treatment of cancer with radiotherapy, chemotherapy and hormonal treatment (Tamoxifen), particularly in terms of the risk of developing a second primary cancer, cardiovascular disease, subfertility or premature menopause. Epidemiological methods are combined with molecular analyses a) to examine gene-treatment interactions and b) to differentiate risk factors for second primary cancer according to specific genetic alterations in the tumour.
Risk factors for hormone-related female cancers
The objective of this programme is to study the aetiology and prognosis of female hormone-related cancers i.e. cancers of the breast, ovarian and endometrium. The research focuses on a) modifiable risk factors in the general population, such as reproductive factors, exogenous hormones and food components and b), genetic and nongenetic risk factors in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers.