The Dutch Cancer Society (KWF Kankerbestrijding) has awarded a total of 5.5 million euro to ten Amsterdam UMC research groups for cancer research. One of the project proposals selected is entitled “A new era in the treatment of patients with familial adenomatous polyposis: towards personalized care” by principal investigator Prof. Evelien Dekker and PhD candidate Arthur Aelvoet (€ 820.704). Her team aims to determine the best strategy to monitor for cancer for each individual patient with hereditary adenomatous polyposis.
We are delighted to receive the news that our project “A new era in the management of familial adenomatous polyposis: towards personalized care” has been selected for funding by KWF. This project focuses on the surgical and endoscopic management of patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), an inherited disease inevitably leading to colorectal cancer if left untreated. Within our European FAP Consortium, we will study the long-term outcomes and quality of life after different types of colectomy. The efficacy of a personalized endoscopic surveillance protocol will also be evaluated, including indications for endoscopic interventions and indications for different surveillance intervals. The preferred endoscopic imaging technique will be evaluated in a randomized controlled trial setting. Our ultimate goal for the future is to be able to select the right surgical and endoscopic strategy for every single patient with FAP to prevent cancer, and to lower the number of invasive interventions resulting in a more favorable quality of life for our patients.
[text by Evelien Dekker (Gastroenterologist) and Arthur Aelvoet (PhD Candidate)]
