The plaque of appreciation is handed over to Gerard C. van Rhoon by last years winner Olav Dahl (right). Photo by Andreas Steeger.
Born 1956 at Hendrik.Ido Ambacht, The Netherlands, present position associated Professor, PhD at the Dept. of Radiation Oncology at the Erasmus MC Daniel den Hoed Cancer Center in Rotterdam.
Gerard van Rhoon started his training as scientific researcher at the Dept. of Experimental Radiotherapy, Medical Faculty, Erasmus University under Prof. Dr. H.S. Reinhold in 1977. He did his B.Sc-degree in Applied Physics at the HTS-Dordrecht, The Netherlands in 1977, MoB-degree in Physics and Chemistry, University of Utrecht, The Netherlands 1986. He obtained his PhD degree in 1994 from the Delft University of Technology. His PhD thesis is titled “Radiofrequency hyperthermia systems. Experimental and clinical assessment of the feasibility of radiofrequency hyperthermia systems for loco-regional deep heating” and was supervised by Prof. PM van den Berg and Prof. HS Reinhold.
Gerard van Rhoon has focused his scientific activity on development of loco-regional heating devises like applicators, control of performance of equipment and quality assurance. He has published about 90 papers in well acknowledged peer reviewed journals, and he was one of the main authors of the well known Dutch deep hyperthermia study published in the Lancet in 2000 Citation[1–6]. He has also contributed a series of papers to the International Journal of Hyperthermia Citation[7–10].
He has had many administrative activities within the field of hyperthermia and served as secretary and treasurer for the European Society for Hyperthermic Oncology during the last 10 years. He has organized or been on the scientific board for about 20 international meetings and was co-president for the International Conference of Hypothermic Oncology 2008 organized in Munich in April 2008. Together with Valeria Milani he also organized the first ESHO School of Hyperthermia, in Munich, with success.
He has been co-promoter for several doctoral theses (Dr. P.J.M. Rietveld, D. Fatehi, M.M. Paulides), and is currently co-promoter for four candidates. In addition to his scientific skills, he is an acknowledged teacher, and with his kind and humourous personality he has abundantly stimulated cooperation and exchanges of ideas in Europe, which has been the background for the current resurge of research in clinical hyperthermia in Europe.
He was the winner of Lund Science Award in 1987, and he won a second place in “Ingenieur van het jaar”, election organised by Niria in 1994. More recently, he also received the 2008 Dr. B.B. Singh Award, presented by the Indian Association of Hyperthermic Oncology and Medicine.
I will take this opportunity to congratulate a distinguished scientist.
Professor Olav Dahl
Section of Oncology, Institute of Medicine
Haukeland Universiy Hospital, University of Bergen
Tel: +47 55972018 E-mail: [email protected]
Selected publications
- Franckena M, Stalpers LJ, Koper PC, Wiggenraad RG, Hoogenraad WJ, van Dijk JDP, Wárlám-Rodenhuis CC, Jobsen JJ, van Rhoon GC, van der Zee J. Long-term improvement in treatment outcome after radiotherapy and hyperthermia in locoregionally advanced cervix cancer: An update of the Dutch Deep Hyperthermia Trial. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2008; 70(4)1176–82
- Juffermans JH, Hanssens PE, van Putten WL, van Rhoon GC, van Der Zee J. Reirradiation and hyperthermia in rectal carcinoma: A retrospective study on palliative effect. Cancer 2003; 98(8)1759–66
- Paulides MM, Bakker JF, Chavannes N, van Rhoon GC. A patch antenna design for application in a phased-array head and neck hyperthermia applicator. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 2007; 54(11)2057–63
- Paulides MM, Bakker JF, van Rhoon GC. Electromagnetic head-and-neck hyperthermia applicator: Experimental phantom verification and FDTD model. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2007; 68(2)612–20
- van der Zee J, Gonzalez Gonzalez D, van Rhoon GC, van Dijk JD, van Putten WL, Hart AA. Comparison of radiotherapy alone with radiotherapy plus hyperthermia in locally advanced pelvic tumours: A prospective, randomised, multicentre trial. Dutch Deep Hyperthermia Group. Lancet 2000; 355(9210)1119–25
- Vernon CC, Hand JW, Field SB, Machin D, Whaley JB, van der Zee J, van Putten WLJ, van Rhoon GC, van Dijk JDP, González González D, Liu F-F, Goodman P, Sherar M. Radiotherapy with or without hyperthermia in the treatment of superficial localized breast cancer: Results from five randomized controlled trials. International Collaborative Hyperthermia Group. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 1996; 35(4)731–44
- de Bruijne M, Wielheesen DH, van der Zee J, Chavannes N, van Rhoon GC. Benefits of superficial hyperthermia treatment planning: Five case studies. Int J Hyperthermia 2007; 23(5)417–29
- Fatehi D, van der Zee J, de Bruijne M, Franckena M, van Rhoon GC. RF-power and temperature data analysis of 444 patients with primary cervical cancer: Deep hyperthermia using the Sigma-60 applicator is reproducible. Int J Hyperthermia 2007; 23(8)623–43
- van der Gaag ML, De Bruijne M, Samaras T, van der Zee J, van Rhoon GC. Development of a guideline for the water bolus temperature in superficial hyperthermia. Int J Hyperthermia 2006; 22(8)637–56
- van der Zee J, van Rhoon GC. Cervical cancer: Radiotherapy and hyperthermia. Int J Hyperthermia 2006; 22(3)229–34