Prof. Elke Rammant (PhD)

CRIG member
Elke Rammant

 

Visiting Professor - (University Centre for Nursing and Midwifery, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, UGent)
Postdoctoral researcher - (Radiation-Oncology - UGent/KUleuven) 

Principal investigators: prof. Valérie Fonteyne (MD, PhD) & prof. Ann Van Hecke (PhD)
 

Research focus

Overall, my goal is to optimize oncological patient care using innovative strategies to improve the quality of life of patients with cancer as much as possible. This translates into a research focus on cancer rehabilitation (e.g. physical activity and psychosocial support) and developing/implementing PROMS in clinical practice. 

Currently my main focus is on the following topics:

  • Stepped-care exercise and psychosocial pathway to address symptom clusters in lung, prostate and breast cancer patients
  • eProLearn & eProConsult: implementing PROMS in clinical practice
  • Update and validation of the EORTC Quality of Life questionnaires for bladder cancer
  • Home-based physical activity promotion in bladder cancer patients (POPEYE trial) 
  • The development of a Core Outcome Set for prehabilitation studies in cancer patients.
     

Biography

CURRENT INTERNATIONAL INVOLVEMENT:

  • Project coördinator of the update and validation of the EORTC quality of life questionnaires for bladder cancer
  • Lead of mentorship programme - the EORTC Quality of Life Group
  • Lead of the Research Collaboration group of the International Society of of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (ISBNPA)
  • Active member and collaborator in projects (e.g. surveys, systematic reviews) of ISOQOL, MASCC and the Global Project on Self-management (GPS). 
  • Peer reviewer for BJUI, BMJ open, Disability and Rehabilitation, Frontiers in Oncology, European Urology Oncology

GRANTS:

  • EORTC Quality of life group (€103,086). “The need for validated Bladder Cancer Modules: Update and potential merging of the existing MIBC and NMIBC modules – including an assessment focused on metastatic bladder cancer.”
    --> post-doctoral researcher
  • Kom op Tegen kanker (€258 500). “Self-management of symptom clusters in (survivors of) breast, prostate and lung cancer patients treated with radiotherapy: development of a stepped care pathway.”
    --> post-doctoral researcher
  • ISBNPA – Funding for research collaboration (£1200). “Prehabilitation outcomes for intra-abdominal cancer patients: protocol for the development of a core outcome set (COS).”
    --> Principal investigator 
     

Research team

Societal outreach

Keywords:

cancer survivorship - quality of life - intervention development - exercise-oncology - behaviour change – patient participation

Experience & expertise:

I have expertise in several domains related to societal outreach: the development of behavior change interventions (e.g., exercise program) in co-creation with patients and clinicians, the development and use of PROMS (Patient Reported Outcome Measures) in clinical trials and practice, patient participation in grant proposal writing,.. 

Current & future plans:

  • eProLearn & eProConsult: implementation of PROMS in clinical practice.
  • COSMOS project (ongoing): development of a stepped-care exercise and psychosocial care pathway to support self-management of symptom clusters in cancer patients. The development is conducted in co-creation with patients and clinicians. 
  • The POPEYE study (ongoing): development of an exercise program in the home setting of patients with bladder cancer.
  • LEO&LENA (Leren Over & Leven Na blaaskanker): developing educational tools to address informational needs in bladder cancer patients.

Relevant stakeholder connections:

Direct contact with patient associations and clinicians. Actively involved in international research groups with expertise in quality of life, exercise and self-management (EORTC QL group, ISOQOL, ISBNPA, MASCC, Global project on self-management in cancer)
 

Key publications

  • 'Associations of self-efficacy, social support and coping strategies with health-related quality of life after radical cystectomy for bladder cancer: A cross-sectional study'. European Journal of Cancer Care, 2022. (PMID: 35304799) 
  • 'Supportive care needs and utilization of bladder cancer patients undergoing radical cystectomy: A longitudinal study'. Psycho-oncology, 2022. (PMID: 34449941)
  • 'Supportive Roles of the Health Care Team Throughout the Illness Trajectory of Bladder Cancer Patients Undergoing Radical Cystectomy: A Qualitative Study Exploring the Patients' Perspectives'. Seminars in Oncology Nursing, 2021. (PMID: 34758914)
  • 'The Use of Theory to Develop Physical Activity Interventions in Urological Cancer Survivors: A Narrative Review'. Seminars in Oncology Nursing, 2021. (PMID: 33516584) 
  • 'Development of a pre- and postoperative physical activity promotion program integrated in the electronic health system of patients with bladder cancer (The POPEYE study): An intervention mapping approach'. European Journal of Cancer Care, 2020. (PMID: 33205552)
  • 'Health-related quality of life overview after different curative treatment options in muscle-invasive bladder cancer: an umbrella review'. Quality of Life Research, 2020. (PMID: 32504291) 
  • 'Understanding physical activity behavior in patients with bladder cancer before and after radical cystectomy: a qualitative interview study'. Clinical Rehabilitation, 2019. (PMID: 30514109)
  • 'Patient- versus physician-reported outcomes in prostate cancer patients receiving hypofractionated radiotherapy within a randomized controlled trial'. Strahlentherapy in Onkology, 2018. (PMID: 30406289)
  • 'A systematic review of exercise and psychosocial rehabilitation interventions to improve health-related outcomes in patients with bladder cancer undergoing radical cystectomy'. Clinical rehabilitation, 2018. (PMID: 29231044)
  • 'Rehabilitation interventions to improve patient-reported outcomes and physical fitness in survivors of muscle invasive bladder cancer: a systematic review protocol'. BMJ Open, 2017. (PMID: 28592583)
     

Contact & links

  • Lab addresses :
    - campus UZ Gent, Corneel Heymanslaan 10, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
    - Guy's Campus, Great Maze Pond, London SE1 1UL, Verenigd Koninkrijk
  • Pubmed 
  • Researchgate 
  • X (former Twitter) 
  • Linkedin
  • Member of REPOS (Research and Expertise Group for Psychosocial Oncology and Survivorship)
  • Elke Rammant is interested to receive invitations for presentations or talks