Digestive Oncology

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Summary

Our role
Our specialities
Research
Publications
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Our role

The Interhospital Digestive Oncology Department organises care pathways and treats persons with a cancer of the digestive tract. This means tumours located between the mouth and anus. The Interhospital Digestive Oncology Department is located within the Erasmus Hospital and the Jules Bordet Institute. Patients therefore transfer from one site to the other depending on their care pathway. 

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Our activities cover screening, diagnosis, assessment, treatment and follow up in regard to these tumours. Our speciality is the intersection of gastroenterology, medical oncology (treatment of cancers by systemic route and drug administration) and digestive surgery, departments with which we cooperate closely. 

Our specialities

The Interhospital Digestive Oncology Department spans 5 fields: 

  • Cancers of the upper digestive tract (œsophagus and stomach)
  • Cancers of the colon, rectum and anus
  • Hepatobiliary cancers (liver and bile ducts)
  • Pancreatic cancers  within a recognised multidisciplinary centre of expertise
  • Neuroendocrine cancers that are treated in partnership with, in particular, the Nuclear Medicine Department via the NET ULB Center. This reference centre is accredited at European level. 

Within a multidisciplinary partnership the department has developed recognised expertise and proposes fast track care and innovative treatment for oesophageal, pancreatic, hepatobiliary and colorectal tumours.  

Cancer treatment is always multidisciplinary. The department's (gastro)oncologists therefore cooperate day-to-day with other specialities and medical departments.  Digestive cancer screening, diagnosis and assessment are carried out in partnership with gastroenterology (endoscopy in particular),   radiology, nuclear medicine and anatomical pathology. The treatment itself involves medico-surgical cooperation that includes digestive surgery and extends to medical oncology, radiotherapy, nuclear medicine, radiology and interventional endoscopy, etc. 

Our team

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our specialists

pierre smeesters labo

Research

The Interhospital Digestive Oncology Department initiates or participates in a number of clinical research activities that are integrated within the care programmes. 

  • Several clinical studies, including studies initiated by the academic sector, are currently running, in cooperation with the pharmaceutical sector. Objective: to study and assess new and innovative cancer treatment (immunotherapy, precision medicine, etc.). 
  • Translational research programmes (that is, fundamental research in the laboratory and clinical trials on humans) are conducted in cooperation with a number of research laboratories in Belgium and abroad. Within the   HUB-ULB network, the Digestive Oncology Department operates in particular with the   Laboratory of Experimental Gastroenterology (LGE) of the ULB Faculty of Medicine and the Jules Bordet Institute's GI Lab. 

Publications

Stratification of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinomas Based on Tumor and Microenvironment Features.

  • Authors : Puleo F, Nicolle R, Blum Y, Cros J, Marisa L, Demetter P, Quertinmont E, Svrcek M, Elarouci N, Iovanna J, Franchimont D, Verset L, Galdon MG, Devière J, de Reyniès A, Laurent-Puig P, Van Laethem JL, Bachet JB, Maréchal R
  • Paper : Gastroenterology. 2018 Dec;155(6):1999-2013.e3. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2018.08.033. Epub 2018 Aug 27. PMID: 30165049.

Regorafenib after failure of gemcitabine and platinum-based chemotherapy for locally advanced/metastatic biliary tumors: REACHIN, a randomized, double-blind, phase II trial

  • Authors: Demols A, Borbath I, Van den Eynde M, Houbiers G, Peeters M, Marechal R, Delaunoit T, Goemine JC, Laurent S, Holbrechts S, Paesmans M, Van Laethem JL
  • Paper: Ann Oncol. 2020 Sep;31(9):1169-1177. doi: 10.1016/j.annonc.2020.05.018. Epub 2020 May 25. PMID: 32464280.

Pembrolizumab Monotherapy for Previously Untreated Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Data from the Open-Label, Phase II KEYNOTE-224

  • Authors : Verset G, Borbath I, Karwal M, Verslype C, Van Vlierberghe H, Kardosh A, Zagonel V, Stal P, Sarker D, Palmer DH, Vogel A, Edeline J, Cattan S, Kudo M, Cheng AL, Ogasawara S, Daniele B, Chan SL, Knox JJ, Qin S, Siegel AB, Chisamore M, Hatogai K, Wang A, Finn RS, Zhu AX
  • Paper : Trial. Clin Cancer Res. 2022 Jun 13;28(12):2547-2554. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-21-3807. PMID: 35421228; PMCID: PMC9784157.

     

Preexisting evidence and outcome of phase III trials in gastrointestinal oncology: a systematic review.

  • Authors : Bregni G, Trevisi E, Saúde Conde R, Vanhooren M, Akin Telli T, Assaf I, Hendlisz A, Di Maio M, Sclafani F.
  • Paper : J Natl Cancer Inst. 2023 May 8;115(5):505-513. doi: 10.1093/jnci/djad030. PMID: 36762842; PMCID: PMC10165488.