The Institut Bordet Medical Oncology Clinic has a number of roles:
- diagnosis and therapeutic care of patients with solid tumours
- overseeing administration of cancer medication for in-patients and out-patients
- monitoring patients during and after their treatment.
The Clinic takes a multidisciplinary approach. Therapeutic decisions are made in consultation with other specialist doctors and healthcare professionals involved in the patient’s care.
The aim is that patients should be monitored in all respects, including psychologically.
The Medical Oncology Clinic forms an integral part of the Department of Oncological Medicine. It is also very active in clinical research (particularly in the development of new medication) and translational research. At the Clinic, research is integrated into the care provided, enabling patients to benefit from the latest diagnostic and therapeutic advances, well before these become part of clinical routine.
The Medical Oncology Clinic is divided into 12 sectors:
- thoracic oncology
- urogenital oncology
- breast oncology
- innovative treatments
- endocrine tumour oncology
- bone and soft tissue tumour oncology
- gynaecological oncology
- digestive oncology
- cervico-facial oncology
- skin tumour oncology
- oncogeriatrics
- central nervous system oncology.
The Medical Oncology Clinic works in close collaboration with the Institut Bordet Clinical Trials Conduct Unit (CTCU). This unit, which is responsible for the development of new drugs and innovative approaches to care, handles phase I, II and III clinical studies in tumours. The CTCU is made up of research nurses, clinical research associates and data managers who, with research doctors, closely monitor patients taking part in clinical trials.
The Institut’s different research laboratories are also closely linked to the Medical Oncology Clinic. Their principal aim is to identify predictive marker molecules (indicating probability of response to a given treatment) and/or prognosis (chances of a cure) as part of the development of breast cancer treatments.
The Medical Oncology Clinic participates actively in research projects conducted by many international collaborative groups such as the EORTC and the Breast International Group (BIG).
Recently, the Oncodistinct research network was created. This network brings together numerous researchers who share a common vision of innovative clinical research. The aim of the network is to accelerate the personalisation of treatment and the development of innovative treatments while also promoting a multidisciplinary approach to research and care.
The Institut Bordet Medical Oncology Clinic plays an important role in education, both in Belgium and abroad. Within the hospital, the Clinic’s medical team supervises the training of young doctors and medical students specialising in oncology. Always keen to promote quality training, the Clinic also welcomes many doctors from abroad as part of its Fellowship Programme.
Research projects
Project 1
AURORA Programme aimed at understanding the molecular characteristics of recurrent and metastatic breast cancer early in the evolution of metastatic disease.
- Project leaders : Philippe Aftimos, Martine Piccart
- Collaborations : International clinical study (80 partners)
- Funding (or) Support : BIG
Project 2
CHARACTERIZATION OF ENDOCRINE RESISTANT Luminal Breast Cancer using spatial transcriptomics AND epigenetic ANALYSIS.
- Project leaders : Christos Sotiriou, Françoise Rothé and Mattia Rediti
- Collaborations :
- Dr François Fuks, Laboratory of Cancer Epigenetics, ULB-Cancer Research Center (U-CRC), Université libre de Bruxelles
- Prof Lundeberg at the SciLife laboratory, Stockholm, Sweden
- Dr Frédérick Libert, ULB/VUB Brightcore sequencing facility
Project 3
ZENITH: A PHASE 2 STUDY OF ZEN003694 IN COMBINATION WITH TALAZOPARIB IN PATIENTS WITH TRIPLE-NEGATIVE BREAST CANCER (BRCA1 OR BRCA2 NON MUTATED)
- Project leader : Philippe Aftimos
- Collaborations : International clinical study
- Funding (or) Support : Zenith Epigenetics Ltd.
Project 4
MULTICENTRIC PHASE II SINGLE-ARM STUDY OF NIVOLUMAB IN PATIENTS WITH TYPE B3 THYMOMA AND THYMIC CARCINOMA PREVIOUSLY TREATED WITH CHEMOTHERAPY
- Project leader : Thierry Berghmans
- Collaborations : International clinical study
- Funding (or) Support : EORTC
Project 5
AURA : Avelumab as neoadjuvant therapy in subjects with urothelial muscle invasive bladder cancers
- Project leader : Nieves Martinez-Chanza, Ahmad Awada
- Collaborations : Oncodistinct - CTSU
Project 6
MIME-A Abémaciclib
Multiorgan Metabolic imaging response assessment of Abemaciclib
- Project leader : Ahmad Awada
Our team
Head of the Medical Oncology Clinic
Pr A. Awada
Solid Tumours / New Innovative drugs
Pr A. Awada, Dr Ph. Aftimos, Dr N. Kotecki
Solid and RareTumours
Pr A. Awada, Dr Ch. Jungels
Breast Oncology
Pr M. Piccart, Dr D. de Valeriola
Dr Ph. Aftimos, Dr A. Gombos
Pr Ch. Sotiriou, Dr E. de Azambuja
Dr M. Ignatiadis, Dr F. Lebrun
Dr L. Buisseret, Dr L. Polastro
Pr A. Drowart, Dr D. t’Kint de Roodenbeke
Oncogeriatrics
Dr L. Dal Lago, Pr Th. Pepersack (geriatrician)
Cervico-facial Oncology
Dr Y. Lalami
Skin Tumour Oncology
Dr J. Kerger / Pr A. Awada
Pr A. Drowart, Dr M. Suppa
Digestive Oncology / Gastroenterology / Endoscopy
Dr A. Hendlisz, Dr A. Deleporte
Dr F. Sclafani
Gynaecological Oncology
Dr J. Kerger, Dr L. Polastro
Dr F. Lebrun, Pr A. Drowart
Thoracic Oncology
Pr Th. Berghmans
Urogenital, Bone and Soft Tissue Oncology
Dr Th. Gil,
Dr Ch. Jungels (sarcomas)
Dr N. Martínez-Chanza (urogenital tumors)
Dr S. Sideris (urogenital tumors)
Oncological Day Hospital
Dr D. de Valeriola, Dr Y. Lalami, Dr L. Polastro
Oncogenetics
Dr D. t’Kint de Roodenbeke
Psychooncology
Pr D. Razavi, Dr G. Stefos, Dr X. Bondenet
Supportive and Palliative Cares / Pain Clinic
Dr I. Libert, Pr A. Drowart (mobile unite)
Consultants :
Pr J. Klastersky (internal medicine/oncology)
Pr B. Desmarez (gastroenterology/endoscopy)
Dr Z. El Ali (medical oncology)
Dr E. Girard (oncologie médicale/digestive)
Dr P. Gkolfakis (gastroentérologie/endoscopie)
Dr Y. Gökburun (gastroenterology/medical oncology)
Dr D. Levacq (medical oncology/oncogenetics)
Dr A. Lepida (gastroenterology/hepatology)
Dr H. Louis (gastroenterology/digestive functional disorders)
Dr F. Mana (gastroenterology/endoscopy)
Pr A. Van Gossum (endoscopy/gastroenterology/nutrition)
Scientific publications
Lurbinectedin as second-line treatment for patients with small-cell lung cancer: a single-arm, open-label, phase 2 basket trial.
Authors : Trigo J, Subbiah V, Besse B, Moreno V, López R, Sala MA, Peters S, Ponce S, Fernández C, Alfaro V, Gómez J, Kahatt C, Zeaiter A, Zaman K, Boni V, Arrondeau J, Martínez M, Delord JP, Awada A, Kristeleit R, Olmedo ME, Wannesson L, Valdivia J, Rubio MJ, Anton A, Sarantopoulos J, Chawla SP, Mosquera-Martinez J, DArcangelo M, Santoro A, Villalobos VM, Sands J, Paz-Ares L
Year : 2020
Journal : Lancet Oncol
Volume : 21
Pages : 645-654
Repurposing anticancer drugs for COVID-19-induced inflammation, immune dysfunction, and coagulopathy.
Authors : Saini KS, Lanza C, Romano M, de Azambuja E, Cortes J, de Las Heras B, de Castro J, Lamba Saini M, Loibl S, Curigliano G, Twelves C, Leone M, Patnaik MM
Year : 2020
Journal : Br J Cancer
Volume : 123
Pages : 694-697
Outcomes based on age in the phase III METEOR trial of cabozantinib versus everolimus in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma.
Authors : Donskov F, Motzer RJ, Voog E, Hovey E, Grüllich C, Nott LM, Cuff K, Gil T, Jensen NV, Chevreau C, Negrier S, Depenbusch R, Bergmann L, Cornelio I, Champsaur A, Escudier B, Pal S, Powles T, Choueiri TK
Year : 2020
Journal : Eur J Cancer
Volume : 126
Pages : 1-10
Reimagining Global Oncology Clinical Trials for the Postpandemic Era: A Call to Arms.
Authors : Saini KS, de Las Heras B, Plummer R, Moreno V, Romano M, de Castro J, Aftimos P, Fredriksson J, Bhattacharyya GS, Olivo MS, Schiavon G, Punie K, Garcia-Foncillas J, Rogata E, Pfeiffer R, Orbegoso C, Morrison K, Curigliano G, Chin L, Saini ML, Rekdal Ø, Anderson S, Cortes J, Leone M, Dancey J, Twelves C, Awada A
Year : 2020
Journal : JCO Glob Oncol
Volume : 6
Pages : 1357-1362
Lessons learned at SABCS 2019 and to-dos from immunotherapy in breast cancer.
Authors : Eiger D, Brandão M, de Azambuja E
Year : 2020
Journal : ESMO Open
Volume : 5