Evelyne Roets, Oncology Resident at University Hospital Antwerp, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“I’m proud to announce that on 13th January I successfully defended my PhD thesis, ‘Optimization of Treatment, Care and Patient-Centeredness in GIST and Soft Tissue Sarcoma Patients.’
A milestone in my oncology career—and an important moment to pause, reflect, and appreciate how far this journey has come. My journey into the world of sarcomas started earlier. In 2018, I began volunteering for the Dutch Sarcoma Patient Platform (Patiëntenplatform Sarcomen) and attended the Connective Tissue Oncology Society meeting for the first time. Through my volunteering work and participation in CTOS, I realized how deeply interested I am in sarcomas.
Sarcomas are challenging: they represent a heterogeneous group of rare and ultra-rare tumors that are often difficult to diagnose and treat. For rare tumor types such as GIST and Soft Tissue Sarcomas, high-quality registries, close collaboration between researchers, clinicians, and patient organizations, and a patient-centered approach are crucial. These insights also formed the foundation of my PhD trajectory. What makes the sarcoma field so special is the strong, open, and supportive collaboration between all these stakeholders—focused on working together to improve outcomes for sarcoma patients.
I’m deeply grateful for the connections and friendships I’ve built over the past years through my PhD. After completing my PhD, I look forward to finishing my oncology training, continuing to work with sarcoma patients, and starting new research projects in this field.
First and foremost, I would like to thank the patients and patient advocacy groups Sarcoma Patient Advocacy Global Network (SPAGN), Patiëntenplatform Sarcomen. I am extremely grateful to my promotion team Winette van der Graaf, Neeltje Steeghs and Olga Husson for their constant support, motivation, and inspiration, as well as for their patience during my transition from physician to researcher-physician. I would also like to thank my opponents Max van Noesel, Juanita Haagsma, Henk verheul, Dirk Grünhagen, Yvonne Schrage, Jacco de Haan, and Joost Groen. A special thank you to my paranymphs, Leyla Azarang and Kim van der Zande, for supporting me throughout my entire PhD trajectory.
Finally, I would like to thank all my colleagues at the The Netherlands Cancer Institute, the (inter)national collaborators for my PhD projects, and—most importantly—my friends and family, who have always supported me.
On to the next chapter.”
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