Publications by authors named "Michel Wjm Wouters"
Article Synopsis
- - Mucosal melanoma (MucM) is a rare and aggressive form of cancer that responds poorly to immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI), especially when compared to cutaneous melanoma (CM).
- - Analysis of 101 MucM tumors revealed lower levels of the immune marker IFN-γ and indicated that head and neck MucM had more immune cells and higher IFN-γ levels than MucM from other body sites.
- - The study found that immune features differed across tumor locations, with immune-infiltrated tumors showing potential resistance mechanisms to ICI, highlighting the need for personalized treatment approaches for MucM.
Background: Safety of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs) is still under debate since it might increase the risk of tumour rupture, especially in larger tumours. The aim of this study was to investigate trends in treatment and perioperative outcomes of patients undergoing resections of gastric GISTs over time.
Methods: This was a multicentre retrospective study of consecutive patients who underwent wedge resection or partial gastrectomy for localized gastric GIST at five GIST reference centres between January 2009 and January 2022.
Article Synopsis
- The study analyzed breast cancer characteristics and treatment outcomes in young patients (<40 years) compared to older patients (≥40 years) using data from the NABON Breast Cancer Audit over a nine-year period.
- Young breast cancer patients were found to often present with more aggressive tumor features and tended to receive more neoadjuvant systemic treatments, yet they had similar or better adherence to quality indicators after treatment.
- De-escalation trends in treatment, such as fewer axillary lymph node dissections and a reduction in radiation after surgery, were observed in both age groups, but the omission of radiation post-surgery was noted only in older patients.
Introduction: In the nationwide Dutch Acute Stroke Audit (DASA), consecutive patients with acute ischaemic stroke (AIS) and intracranial haemorrhage (ICH) are prospectively registered. Acute stroke care is a rapidly evolving field in which intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) and intra-arterial thrombectomy (IAT) play a crucial role in increasing odds of favourable outcome. The DASA can be used to assess the variation in care between hospitals and develop 'best practice' in acute stroke care.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Short-course preoperative radiotherapy is indicated in patients with resectable rectal cancer to control local recurrence. Although no clear evidence is available, short-course radiotherapy with operation within a week is common practice. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of timing of operation for rectal cancer after short-course radiotherapy on anastomotic leakage.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: MyAVL is an interactive portal for cancer patients that aims to support lung cancer patients.
Objective: We aimed to evaluate the feasibility and usability of the patient portal and generate preliminary evidence on its impact.
Methods: Lung cancer patients currently or recently treated with curative intent could use MyAVL noncommittally for 4 months.
Background: MijnAVL is an interactive portal including patient education, overview of appointments, access to the electronic medical records (EMR), patient-reported outcomes, plus feedback and physical activity support.
Objective: With this study we aimed to evaluate the use, feasibility, and impact of MijnAVL among breast cancer survivors.
Methods: We included survivors currently or recently treated with curative intent, who completed questions on sociodemographics, patient activation (PAM), quality of life (SF-36), and physical activity (IPAQ).
Background: Patient empowerment may be an effective approach to strengthen the role of cancer survivors and to reduce the burden on health care. However, it is not well conceptualized, notably in oncology. Furthermore, it is unclear to what extent information technology (IT) services can contribute to empowerment of cancer survivors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: MijnAVL (MyAVL) is an interactive portal being developed to empower cancer survivors. Literature review and focus groups yielded the selection of features such as access to the electronic medical record (EMR), patient reported outcomes (PROs) and related feedback, and a physical activity support program.
Objective: Our aim was to present a final design of MijnAVL based on (1) health professionals' evaluation of proposed features, (2) cancer survivors' evaluation of a first draft, and (3) cancer survivors' evaluation of a functional online prototype.