PhD defence Noa Wijnen: finding the right balance in treating childhood cancer
15 juni 2026
On Monday 15 June, physician-researcher Noa Wijnen will defend her PhD on the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in children. At the heart of her thesis is one key question: how can we ensure that children with AML, anywhere in the world, have the best possible chance of survival?
Across the globe, outcomes in childhood cancer differ widely. While children in the Netherlands often have good survival rates, the situation is very different in many low- and middle-income countries. These differences are largely driven by the conditions in which children are treated, such as the availability of medicines, antibiotics, blood products, nutrition, nursing care, and intensive care facilities.
This context formed the basis of Noa’s research. In her first year as a PhD candidate at the Princess Máxima Center, she evaluated, among other things, the implementation of an adapted AML treatment protocol in Kenya. ‘We saw that infections are a major cause of death among children with cancer there. I wanted to explore this further: what exactly is happening?’ Noa explains.
Supportive care refers to care aimed at preventing, treating, or reducing side effects; for example, the management of infections. It plays a crucial role in AML treatment. With her PhD research, Noa expands our understanding of the balance between cancer treatment and supportive care, and how this balance influences survival outcomes.
Noa: ‘For me, taking an international perspective on pediatric oncology is not something additional to good care here. It is an integral part of it. If we truly want to make an impact on curing childhood cancer, we need to do this together, worldwide.’
Finding the right balance in AML
A key insight from her research is the critical importance of supportive care in AML. This form of leukemia is treated with intensive chemotherapy, which can only be successful if complications such as infections are effectively prevented or managed. 'To cure AML, you constantly need to balance the intensity of cancer treatment with the quality of supportive care,' says Noa. 'That balance is crucial—and it differs depending on the setting.'
In countries with fewer resources, achieving this balance is particularly challenging, Noa observed. Treating AML in hospitals with limited resources is possible, but the balance between effectiveness and side effects must be continuously optimized. This requires, on the one hand, smarter treatments—less side effects and more targeted—and, on the other hand, parallel strengthening of supportive care.
Clinical studies
As part of her PhD research, Noa also contributed to international clinical studies aimed at improving treatment. She was involved in the CHIP-AML study, which investigates whether adding newer, more targeted therapies can improve outcomes, and whether some groups of children can be safely treated with less chemotherapy.
In addition, Noa worked on research into infection prevention, such as the Pro-Teico study. This study, conducted in several European countries, examines whether preventive treatment with the antibiotic teicoplanin can reduce severe infections during AML treatment. She hopes that these results will lead to a new guideline for supportive care for children with AML.
Equitable collaboration
An important part of her work is collaboration with colleagues in Kenya. Through a so-called ‘twin PhD’ setup, Noa worked closely with Kenyan pediatric oncologist Alice Gichemi, combining their expertise: clinical experience in the local context and knowledge of research methods. Together, they initiated the CARE study, which collects data on various aspects of supportive care – such as infections, nutrition, and fever – in children with cancer in Kenya. In a follow-up study, IMPACT-CARE, the duo aims to further analyze which pathogens and resistance patterns play a role, in order to improve supportive care.
Noa Wijnen carried out her PhD research under the supervision of prof. dr. Gertjan Kaspers, dr. Kim Klein and dr. Minke Huibers.