Large study reveals hidden potential of cancer drugs

Over the past ten years, more than 1,600 patients with advanced cancer have been offered a treatment option in this way. These individuals participated in the DRUP study, a large-scale study conducted across several Dutch hospitals, including LUMC.

Medical oncologist and professor Hans Gelderblom is one of the three principal investigators representing LUMC in the study, whose results were published in the leading scientific journal Nature.

Medication based on tumor DNA profile

Participants in the DRUP study receive existing cancer drugs that were originally developed for a different type of cancer. Doctors consider not only the cancer type but also the tumor’s DNA profile. Based on this, they select medications that may also be effective against the same genetic abnormalities, regardless of the cancer type.

Researchers emphasize that off-label treatments should not be applied indiscriminately, but preferably within well-designed (prospective) studies, ideally in a European context. Only in this way can results be properly evaluated and used to determine whether these treatments should become part of standard care.

LUMC helps make personalized cancer care more accessible

In addition to participating in the DRUP study, LUMC also coordinates the European project PCM4EU, which builds on the DRUP approach. The project aims to make personalized cancer treatment more widely available across Europe, including through knowledge sharing, improved access to genetic diagnostics, and implementation in clinical practice.

Gelderblom is closely involved through LUMC. He is one of the three principal investigators of the DRUP study and coordinator of PCM4EU, as well as co-coordinator of follow-up projects such as PRIME-ROSE and JA-PCM.

The study was led by principal investigators Emile Voest (Netherlands Cancer Institute), Henk Verheul (Erasmus MC), and Hans Gelderblom (LUMC). The research was financially supported by KWF Dutch Cancer Society and Stelvio for Life. Emile Voest’s group is part of the Oncode Institute.