On May 11 from 14:45 till 16:00h Michiel van de Ven will defend his thesis titled “A systems model to support the implementation of Whole Genome Sequencing for lung cancer patients in a constrained healthcare system”.
The current diagnostic pathway for lung cancer patients is complex, as multiple individual biomarker tests are required to select the optimal treatment. This makes the time from diagnosis until treatment initiation relatively long for these patients. Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) can be used to test all DNA-based biomarkers in one single test, compared to the current SOC where multiple tests are sequentially performed. As such, WGS is the most comprehensive type of NGS and can improve efficiency in the diagnostic pathway. However, WGS is a complex and disruptive health technology, potentially replacing (large) parts of the current SOC and changing the way healthcare is delivered.
Therefore, Michiel van de Ven carried out research to evaluate, from a national perspective, the intended and unintended consequences of implementing WGS in oncology. The main method of analysis in his thesis was a simulation model reflecting a simplified version of part of the healthcare system. It incorporated system-level constraints and real-world variation in healthcare delivery. The results in this thesis can inform implementation and infrastructure building strategies to prepare the healthcare delivery system for increased use of WGS in oncology.
The research was conducted under the supervision of promotors prof.dr. Maarten IJzerman and prof.dr.ir. Hendrik Koffijberg and co-promotor dr. Valesca Retèl. The research presented in this thesis was part of the Technology Assessment of Next Generation sequencing in Oncology (TANGO) study in which the potential added value of WGS in oncology was assessed. This study was funded by the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (ZonMW).
