Laura Mertens

Within the team of dedicated specialists, I am involved in the treatment of patients with bladder, prostate, kidney, penile and testicular cancer. Working at the Netherlands Cancer Institute is special to me because here we combine high-quality oncological patient care with scientific research – always in a multidisciplinary team.

In 2011, I started PhD research in the field of bladder cancer at the Netherlands Cancer Institute. I have a PhD on new diagnostics and imaging to improve the treatment of patients with bladder cancer. I followed the training to become a medical specialist (urologist) in, among others, the Amsterdam UMC. Since 2020, I have been working as a urologist at the Netherlands Cancer Institute where I completed the oncological urology fellowship.

Within urology , I have a specific interest in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with bladder and prostate cancer. At the Netherlands Cancer Institute, I work closely together in the focus group bladder cancer and early diagnosis. These are multidisciplinary teams with urologists, oncologists, radiologists, nuclear medicine physicians, pathologists and radiotherapists. This ensures that every patient receives a tailor-made treatment. As a center of expertise, we also pay attention to the quality of life after treatment.

At the Netherlands Cancer Institute, I combine patient care with research aimed at improving the diagnosis and treatment of bladder and prostate cancer. To this end, I participate in various national and international research groups. In daily practice, too, my aim is to provide the best possible care, tailored to each individual patient. This combination of high-quality patient care and innovative scientific research makes the Netherlands Cancer Institute unique.

Function:
Urologist

Positions and areas of interest:

• Bladder cancer
• Early diagnosis of prostate cancer
• European Guidelines Committee on Muscle-Invasive Bladder Carcinoma
• Dutch Guidelines Committee Hematuria
• European Young Academic Urologists

Qualifications:

• 2021: Fellow of the European Board of Urology
• 2020: Fellowship oncological urology at the Netherlands Cancer Institute
• 2014: Promotion to the diagnosis and treatment of patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer at the Netherlands Cancer Institute