Identifying prognostic factors predicting impact of treatment and risk of cancer recurrence in patients with colorectal cancer: Towards a personalized approach

This thesis investigated several factors that were presumed to yield predictive value for the prognosis of patients receiving curative treatment for colorectal cancer. It showed that it is safe to lengthen the time between diagnosis and treatment in patients with colon cancer, for example to implement a prehabilitation programme, as a longer treatment interval did not influence (cancer-free survival). It identified a marker that can be measured in blood taken at time of diagnosis, which predicts the risk of complications after surgery for colorectal cancer. Another marker, based on the tumour-microenvironment, was found to predict the risk of cancer recurrence after curative treatment for colon cancer, and the chance of response to (radio)chemotherapy in colon- and rectal cancer.