Marie Hendrickx
PhD student – Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases Research Unit – Department of Public Health and Primary Care – Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences – UGent
Principal investigator: prof. Katrien Vanthomme (PhD)
Research focus
Cervical cancer remains a major public health challenge, with significant social inequalities in incidence, mortality, and screening follow-up, even in high-income countries like Belgium. Despite the introduction of an organized screening program in Flanders in 2013, the follow-up rate for abnormal Pap smears remains below the WHO’s 90% target, particularly among
socioeconomically disadvantaged women. The existing fail-safe system, implemented in 2018, aims to improve follow-up rates but its impact on social inequalities remains unclear.
This PhD research, part of an FWO project within the "Kom op tegen Kanker" call, aims to:
assess social inequalities in the timely follow-up of abnormal screening results in Flanders,
evaluate the effectiveness of the fail-safe mechanism in addressing these inequalities, and
develop and pilot-test an intervention in co-creation with the target population to improve timely follow-up.
A retrospective population-based cohort study will analyze linked administrative data from the Belgian Cancer Registry, the Intermutualistic Agency, and Statistics Belgium to examine follow-up rates before and after the fail-safe system’s implementation. Additionally, qualitative research with healthcare providers will explore their perspectives on social disparities in follow-up care.
To address gaps identified in the first two research questions, a co-created intervention will be developed through six sessions with women who experienced inadequate follow-up. A pilot study will assess feasibility, appropriateness, and potential effectiveness. The results will inform evidence-based strategies to improve cervical cancer screening follow-up and reduce social inequalities in cancer outcomes in Flanders.
The study contributes to multidisciplinary cancer research by illuminating how structural and social determinants influence cancer outcomes and by generating actionable strategies to promote equity in cancer prevention and control.
Contact & links
- Lab address: Campus UZ Gent, entrance 42, 4K3, Corneel Heymanslaan 10, 9000 Gent
- Marie Hendrickx is interested to receive invitations for presentations or talks