The Department of Clinical Medicine
PhD defense by Lars Hernández Nielsen

Auditorium A
Forskningens Hus,
Aalborg Universitetshospital
01.11.2024 Kl. 13:00 - 17:00
After the defense there will be held a reception. All are welcome.
English
On location
Auditorium A
Forskningens Hus,
Aalborg Universitetshospital
01.11.2024 Kl. 13:00 - 17:00
English
On location
The Department of Clinical Medicine
PhD defense by Lars Hernández Nielsen

Auditorium A
Forskningens Hus,
Aalborg Universitetshospital
01.11.2024 Kl. 13:00 - 17:00
After the defense there will be held a reception. All are welcome.
English
On location
Auditorium A
Forskningens Hus,
Aalborg Universitetshospital
01.11.2024 Kl. 13:00 - 17:00
English
On location
About the PhD thesis
The purpose of this PhD project was to investigate the possibilities of
using patient-level data to analyze the use of systemic anti-cancer
therapy (SACT). The thesis consists of four scientific studies. Three of
the studies are based on SACT administered at Aalborg University
Hospital from 2008 to 2021 and one is based on data from disease
specific databases. In addition, one study uses English SACT data to
compare across countries. The main findings from each study are
summarized below:
Study I. The cost of SACT is concentrated on a small group of highcost patients spread across a range of cancer diagnoses. We found that increasing costs were partly driven by increased treatment of older patients and that the patients BMI is an increasingly important determinant of cost.
Study II. For patients with aggressive hematological malignancies (MM, AML, DLBCL), we found a reduced inequality in survival across socioeconomic position over the past 20 years, except for AML where the difference is still substantial. This difference could not be attributed to differences in treatment.
Study III. The socioeconomic position of cancer patients influences the initiation, type, and amount of SACT. Differences were found across length of education, income, cohabitation status, and to a lesser extent for the distance to treatment and ethnicity.
Study IV. Vulnerable cancer patients have a lower rate of participation
in clinical cancer trials in Denmark and in England. In comparing participation across countries, we found similar patterns in different cancers.
The studies underscore the potential in leveraging patient-level data to investigate patterns in use and distribution of SACT.
Attendees
- Associate Professor, Rasmus Froberg Brøndum, Center for Clinical Data Science, Aalborg University and Aalborg University Hospital
- Professor, Martin Bøgsted, Center for Clinical Data Science, Aalborg University and Aalborg University Hospital
- Clinical Professor, Marianne Tang Severinsen, Department of Hematology, Aalborg University Hospital, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aalborg University
- Professor, Jan Sørensen (chair), Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aalborg University
- Professor, Bernard Rachet, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
- Professor, Mette Nørgaard, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University