Winette Van der Graaf, oncologist: ‘I never would have imagined seeing patients with colorectal cancer at age 19′

May 28, 2026 - 12:02
Winette Van der Graaf, oncologist: ‘I never would have imagined seeing patients with colorectal cancer at age 19′
Winette Van der Graaf, oncologist and president of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer, photographed in Barcelona.

A glance at Winette Van der Graaf’s extensive résumé is enough to certify that this Dutch oncologist has been an exceptional witness, if not a fundamental part, of the great scientific revolution that cancer research has undergone in recent decades. An expert in sarcomas and cancers in teens and young adults, Van der Graaf was one of the pioneers in providing care — and personalized assistance — to people between the ages of 15 and 39 who develop cancer. Sometimes in no man’s land, halfway between pediatric and adult oncology, cancer at this age puts life “on hold,” says Van der Graaf.

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