In June 2015 I started working in the LUMC as professor of neuro-oncology, in particular quality of life. I work two days a week in the LUMC, where I am a staff member at the department of neurology. In addition to neuro-oncological patient care, I chair the neuro-oncology tumor working group and lead the biweekly multidisciplinary neuro-oncology meeting. I am also involved in the training of neurology residents in the LUMC.

More information about Martin Taphoorn

In June 2015 I started working in the LUMC as professor of neuro-oncology, in particular quality of life. I work two days a week in the LUMC, where I am a staff member at the department of neurology. In addition to neuro-oncological patient care, I chair the neuro-oncology tumor working group and lead the biweekly multidisciplinary neuro-oncology meeting. I am also involved in the training of neurology residents in the LUMC.

The remaining three days I am working as a neurologist/neuro-oncologist in the Haaglanden Medical Center (HMC) in The Hague, where my focus is also on neuro-oncology.
I am closely involved in the EORTC Brain Tumour Group and the EORTC Quality of Life Group, and I have been a board member in both groups. I am currently the chairman of the Grant Review Committee of the EORTC Quality of Life Group and chair of the international RANO (response assessment in neuro-oncology) PRO (patient-reported outcomes) working group.

Neuro-oncology

Neuro-oncology comprises a relatively small area within the field of oncology, in which patients have both a malignancy and a progressive neurological disease. These are mostly incurable disorders with a high morbidity due to the loss of functions of the nervous system. This has major consequences for being able to function independently in society. Personalized medicine (NWA research agenda) is therefore particularly important in this vulnerable patient population.

The professorship neuro-oncology, in particular quality of life, should lead to intensive multidisciplinary collaboration in the Leiden - The Hague area, and should become imbedded in the University Cancer Center (UKC) Leiden - The Hague. The collaboration concerns both patient care and clinical research. Regarding patient care, lateralization of gliomas occurs to the HMC (in 2016, the NFU recognized the HMC as national expertise center for gliomas), and lateralization of skull base tumors and spinal tumors to the LUMC. The quality of neuro-oncological treatments and care needs to be improved with collaboration and lateralization.

The scientific research at the LUMC and HMC focuses on the development and application of outcome measures (cognitive functioning, epilepsy, quality of life, imaging) in clinical trials and in clinical practice. This research is partly embedded in neurology (paroxysmal cerebral disorders), seeks connection/embedding in neurosurgery, radiotherapy and oncology, and has connections with radiology and medical decision making.

Outside the LUMC, an intensive research collaboration with the Erasmus MC and the EORTC has been established.

Academic career

During my training in neurology at the VUmc in Amsterdam, I conducted clinical studies in brain tumor patients to determine the effect of both the disease and its treatment on cognitive functioning and quality of life. This resulted in my thesis: 'Treatment of primary and metastatic brain tumors: beneficial and adverse effects' (September 23rd, 1994, VU University Amsterdam).
From 1995 to 2003 I supervised (pre)-clinical research in UMC Utrecht as a senior staff member at the department of neurology, conducted (multicenter) clinical studies, and I was involved in three neuro-oncological dissertations as co-supervisor.
Since 2003 I have been working part-time as a neurologist/neuro-oncologist at the HMC, where I was also head of the training program for residents of neurology from 2011 to 2015.
From 2007 to 2015 I was professor by special appointment of neuro-oncology at the Vumc for one day a week (supervisor of three neuro-oncological theses) in addition to my clinical tasks at the HMC.
From 2012 to 2016 I was board member of the European Association for Neuro-Oncology (EANO) and from 2014 to 2016 of the European CanCer Organization (ECCO). From 2009 to 2011 I was chairman of the Dutch Society for Neurology (NVN).
From 2015 I am associated to an ordinariate in the LUMC. I held my oration 'Neuro-oncology, choosing and sharing' on January 8th, 2016.

Prizes and honourable appointments

In 1984 I graduated cum laude in Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Leiden.

For a sabbatical Neuro-Oncology (MD Anderson Houston; Memorial Sloan-Kettering New York, February - May 1998) I received a personal scholarship from the Dutch Cancer Society. Moreover, in 2006 I was nominated by the International Society for Quality of Life Research for the best article on Quality of Life research in 2005, and in 2014 I received the Abihjit Guha Award from the Indian Society for Neuro-Oncology for quality of life research in neuro-oncology.

Since January 2018 I am member of the International Advisory Board of the Lancet Oncology.