dr. Suzanne Fischer (MD, PhD)

My research focuses on translational sarcoma research: bringing observations and material from patients into the laboratory and translating the resulting knowledge back to clinical care. Sarcomas are rare and highly heterogeneous cancers. For patients with high-grade disease, metastatic relapse remains a major challenge, while reliable biomarkers to predict metastasis or treatment response are still lacking.
During my PhD, I investigated how patient-derived tumour models and blood-based biomarkers could support more personalized treatment decisions. I helped establish a prospective sarcoma biobank containing tumour tissue and longitudinal plasma samples, providing a resource for both our own research and multidisciplinary collaborations. Using this material, we developed patient-derived 2D and 3D cell cultures and xenograft models. In particular, we developed a post-surgical minimal residual disease model that reproduces metastatic relapse after removal of the primary tumour and can be used to study tumour progression and treatment response.
A second focus of my work was extracellular vesicles: small membrane-bound particles released by cells into the bloodstream. By studying their molecular content, we explored whether they could serve as minimally invasive biomarkers for patients at increased risk of metastasis.
This work sits at the intersection of surgery, oncology, pathology and experimental cancer research. As a general surgery resident with a growing focus on visceral and oncological surgery, I aim to continue bridging clinical questions and laboratory research, with the ultimate goal of developing clinically relevant models and biomarkers that can improve cancer treatment.
 

Suzanne Fischer is a general surgery resident with a strong interest in visceral and oncological surgery and in translational cancer research.
During her surgical training, she became increasingly interested in the gap between questions encountered in daily clinical practice and the tools available to answer them in the laboratory. This led her to pursue a PhD at Ghent University focusing on sarcoma, a rare and highly heterogeneous group of cancers. Her research explored how patient-derived tumour models, biobanking and extracellular vesicles can help us better understand treatment response, tumour heterogeneity and metastatic relapse.
After completing her PhD, she returned to full-time surgical training. She is currently completing her fifth year of residency at Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Dordrecht and will return to Ghent University Hospital in October 2026 for her sixth and final year, with a focus on visceral surgery. Her previous clinical training has included gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary, thoracic, vascular and cardiac surgery.
Her main interest lies at the interface between surgery and cancer research: using clinically relevant questions, patient-derived material and experimental models to improve our understanding of cancer and, ultimately, patient care. She hopes to continue combining clinical work in visceral surgery with translational research throughout her career.
 

• Post-operative minimal residual disease models to study metastatic relapse in soft-tissue sarcoma patient-derived xenografts. Clinical and Translational Medicine, 2023. (PMID: 37282823)
• A living biobank of sarcoma patient-derived cell cultures reveals multi-omic and functional insights that capture disease heterogeneity. Clinical and Translational Medicine, 2026. (PMID: 42333717)
• Generation of post-surgical minimal residual disease models to investigate metastasis in soft tissue sarcoma patient-derived orthotopic xenografts. STAR Protocols, 2024. (PMID: 38421864)
• Preserving potential: Surgeons as key partners in establishing a living sarcoma biobank for translational research purposes. Surgical Oncology, 2025. (PMID: 40058119)
• Endoglin, a Novel Biomarker and Therapeutical Target to Prevent Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor Growth and Metastasis. Clinical Cancer Research, 2023. (PMID: 37432984)
• Identification and validation of extracellular vesicle reference genes for the normalization of RT-qPCR data. Journal of Extracellular Vesicles, 2024. (PMID: 38545822)
• MISpheroID: a knowledgebase and transparency tool for minimum information in spheroid identity. Nature Methods, 2021. (PMID: 34725485)
   

• Lab address: 
  Laboratory of Experimental Cancer Research, 
  Department of Human Structure and Repair, 
  Campus UZ Gent, Corneel Heymanslaan 10, The Core, ingang 37, 9000 Gent, Belgium 
• Member of the Consortium for Sarcoma Research Ghent (ConSaRGhent)
• LinkedIn
• Suzanne Fischer is interested to receive invitations for presentations or talks