Anneleen Van Rijckeghem

Bladder cancer mortality has not improved much in the last 2 decades. As with any cancer, early diagnosis and detection of recurrence is crucial to increase survival rates. The problem is that there is currently no good screening test for bladder cancer. Diagnosis and follow-up rely on cystoscopy: a thin camera guided through the urinary tract to examine the bladder wall directly. It works, but it's invasive and uncomfortable, and many bladder cancer patients have to undergo it every few months for years. We are working on an alternative: a simple urine test that could one day replace or reduce the need for these repeated camera examinations. Urine naturally contains tiny fragments of genetic material shed by cells in the urinary tracts. By analyzing these fragments, we hope to develop a test that can tell healthy people apart from patients with bladder cancer and pick up early warning signs if the cancer returns or if any tumor tissue was left behind after surgery. If successful, this kind of test could make follow-up care simpler and more comfortable for patients, using a simple urine sample.
 

• 2024: Erasmus programme at University of Helsinki Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology
• 2025: Master in Drug Development
• 2026-: PhD fellow supported by a Kom op tegen Kanker translational research grant
   

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