prof. Yolande Lievens (MD, PhD)
- Chair of department - Radiation Oncology (UZ Gent)
- Associate professor (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, UGent)
Research focus
My clinical research focus lies on radiotherapy for thoracic malignancies and on oligometastatic disease, but I also have a special interest for radiotherapy in skin, breast and hematological cancer.
Apart from the clinics, I have always been closely involved in the societal aspects and impact of radiotherapy, in the position of radiotherapy in multidisciplinary oncology and in the financial and health economic aspects of cancer care. From that angle, I have developed a track record in health services research in radiation oncology, mainly focused on access to care, quality issues in radiation oncology, cost-accounting, health economics and health technology assessment. Convinced that the benefit to the patient should be central - not only in our clinical practice but also in our research - quality of life evaluation and patient reported outcomes are also important research topics, as well as value-based health care, where the outcome that matters to patients is core.
Collaborating with and within various international organizations - such as the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO), the European Cancer Organisation (E.C.O.), the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Collaboration for Cancer Outcomes, Research and Evaluation (CCORE); and in Belgium with the Belgian Health Care Knowledge Centre (KCE) and the Belgian Cancer Registry, has given me the opportunity to develop the above-sited interests not only at the Belgian and European level, but also in a global perspective.
I am convinced that a continuum from basic research over clinical and translational research into implementation and health services research is key to advance the outcome of our cancer patients. The latter are crucial to support the adoption of innovative radiotherapy interventions in our health system, which is not evident in the context of often-limited health care budgets.
Biography
Main scientific and professional positions and collaborations:
- European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO) (president (2014-2020), member of the Scientific Council)
- European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) (PI E2-RADIATE, member of the Radiation Oncology Science Council)
- International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) (member of the Staging Committee)
- International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) (collaborator/expert)
- European Cancer Organization (E.C.O.) (co-chair Health Systems and Quality Network)
- Institute of Cancer Policy (ICP) (board member)
- Journal of Cancer Policy (editorial member)
- Belgian Board of Oncology (board member)
- Belgian Cancer Registry (collaborator)
Main ongoing scientific projects:
- Health Economics in Radiation Oncology Project (ESTRO-HERO) (co-chair since 2011)
- Value-Based Radiation Oncology Project (VBRO) (co-chair, holder of the Ugent Chair for ESTRO Value-Based Radiation Oncology)
- EORTC-ESTRO Radiotherapy Infrastructure for Europe (E2-RADIATE) (co-PI of the study)
- ARCHERY: A prospective observational study of artificial intelligence based radiotherapy treatment planning for cervical, head and neck and prostate cancer (co-investigator and workpackage leader on Health Economics)
- FWO-TBM Project nr. T005523N. Towards cost-effective patient selection for proton therapy in thoracic cancers: a framework for continuously updating prediction models (THORACIC). (workpackage leader cost and cost-effectiveness analysis)
- Adaptive radiotherapy for (oligo)metastatic disease: a value assessment. Project supported by a grant from Varian (PI)
Research team
- prof. Yolande Lievens (MD, PhD) - principal investigator, associate professor
- dr. Miet Vandemaele (MD) - doctoral fellow
- Quentin Bouchez - doctoral fellow
- Yaqeen W. Shanti - doctoral fellow
- prof. Barbara Vanderstraeten (PhD) - principal investigator
- prof. Delphine De Smedt (PhD) - principal investigator
- prof. Sophie Hoozée (PhD) - principal investigator
- prof. Piet Ost (MD, PhD) -principal investigator
- Emma Van Damme - study coordinator
- Nancy Vanderstichele – study nurse
Key publications
- Activity-Based Costing: a practical model for cost calculation in radiotherapy. International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics, 2003. (PMID: 12957266)
- Expanding global access to radiotherapy. Lancet Oncology 2015. (PMID: 26419354)
- Towards an evidence-informed value scale for surgical and radiation oncology: a multi-stakeholder perspective. Lancet Oncology 2019 (PMID: 3071279)
- How public health services pay for radiotherapy in Europe: an ESTRO-HERO analysis of reimbursement. Lancet Oncology 2020 (PMID: 31908306)
- Characterisation and classification of oligometastatic disease: a European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology and European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer consensus recommendation. Lancet Oncology 2020 (PMID: 31908301)
- Defining oligometastatic disease from a radiation oncology perspective: An ESTRO-ASTRO consensus document. Radiotherapy and Oncology 2020. (PMID: 32388150)
- European Groundshot – Addressing Europe’s cancer research challenges: a Lancet Oncology Commission. Lancet Oncology 2022. (PMID 36400101)
- Coverage with evidence development program on stereotactic body radiotherapy in Belgium (2013-2019): a nationwide registry-based prospective study. Lancet Regional Health Europe 2024. (PMID: 39045286)
Contact & links
- Lab address: Radiotherapie-Oncologie, UZ Gent, RadiotherapiePark, entrance 98, C. Heymanslaan 10, 9000 Gent
- LinkedIn