Drugs to treat cancer are often given at a very high dose. In addition, they are usually very expensive. This study looked at whether alternative dosages could improve treatment by reducing side effects on the one hand and lowering costs on the other. First, we looked at a lower dose of the drug enzalutamide for the treatment of prostate cancer. This gave fewer side effects and also appears to be just as effective. Second, we looked at a lower dose of the drug olaparib in combination with the drug cobicistat, which inhibits the breakdown of olaparib. Despite the much lower dose of olaparib, more olaparib entered the blood than with the standard dose. These studies show that alternative doses are a promising way to improve cancer treatment by reducing side effects and costs.
Joanneke Overbeek (1995) received her pharmacy degree from Utrecht University in 2021. After her graduation, she started her PhD at the Department of Pharmacy, Pharmacology and Toxicology at the Radboudumc. In 2025, she won the first prize of the PhD competition of the European Federation for Pharmaceutical Sciences for her research on alternative dosages in oncology.