Ronald de Wit

Ronald de Wit is a professor of medical oncology at Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Additionally, he is the founding chairman of the Dutch Uro-Oncology Study Group (DUOS).

Ronald de Wit was born on August 8, 1955, in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He earned his MD from the University of Amsterdam and became a Registered Specialist in Internal Medicine. In 1990, he completed his training in Medical Oncology and earned his PhD on the topic "Treatment Aspects of AIDS-associated Kaposi’s Sarcoma" from the University of Amsterdam.

Ronald de Wit has been the lead investigator or senior author on numerous trials related to germ cell cancer. One trial demonstrated that three cycles of BEP were an adequate treatment for good-risk metastatic disease. One of his research projects identified docetaxel as an effective treatment for castrate-resistant prostate cancer. This work paved the way for numerous trials examining chemotherapy and AR-signaling agents, improving the approach to prostate cancer management. A notable contribution from this period was the publication of the CARD trial in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) in 2019.

Currently, his research encompasses both clinical and translational studies, focusing on the interplay between taxanes and the latest hormonal agents, as well as biomarker investigations. He is also affiliated with the Research Unit for Translational Pharmacology in the Department of Medical Oncology at Erasmus University Medical Center.

During the 2010s, he participated in industry-led immunotherapy trials concerning Checkpoint Inhibitors. These trials paved the way for the approval of Pembrolizumab in both second and first-line treatments, including for non-muscle invasive diseases. His contributions extend to translational and immuno-oncology research, specifically on biomarker studies that determine prognostic and predictive factors for checkpoint inhibition.

In addition to his contributions in the treatment of urological cancers, Ronald de Wit has been insvolved in advancing the management of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, regardless of the tumor type. He introduced a statistical method that revealed the diminishing efficacy of 5HT3 Receptor antagonists as antiemetic treatment over consecutive cycles of therapy, primarily due to their inability to manage delayed nausea effectively. Furthermore, he played a role in the development and subsequent FDA and EMA approval of the NK1 antagonist, aprepitant. His research highlighted that when 5HT3 and NK1 drugs are used in combination, they offer considerably enhanced efficacy throughout multiple cycles due to improved control over delayed nausea and emesis.

• Ronald de Wit, Stephen J. Freedland, Stephane Oudard, Georgi Marinov, Philippe Capart, Austin J. Combest, Ryan Peterson, Ayse Ozatilgan, and Alicia K. Morgans. Real-world evidence of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer treated with cabazitaxel: comparison with the randomized clinical study CARD.
• Ronald de Wit, Thomas Powles, Daniel Castellano, Andrea Necchi, Jae-Lyun Lee, Michiel S. van der Heijden, Nobuaki Matsubara, Aristotelis Bamias, Aude Fléchon, Cora N. Sternberg, Alexandra Drakaki, Evan Y. Yu, Annamaria H. Zimmermann, Amanda Long, Richard A. Walgren, Ling Gao, Katherine M. Bell-McGuinn, and Daniel P. Petrylak. Exposure-response relationship of ramucirumab in RANGE, a randomized phase III trial in advanced urothelial carcinoma refractory to platinum therapy.
• Ronald de Wit, Bertrand Tombal, and Stephen Freedland. Use of Chemotherapy and Androgen Signaling–targeted Inhibitors in Patients with Metastatic Prostate Cancer.
• Ronald de Wit. Refinement of the Management of Germ Cell Cancer: What’s Next?.
• Ronald de Wit, Johann de Bono, Cora N. Sternberg, Karim Fizazi, Bertrand Tombal, Christian Wülfing, Gero Kramer, Jean-Christophe Eymard, Aristotelis Bamias, Joan Carles, and Roberto Iacovelli. Bohuslav MelicharCabazitaxel versus Abiraterone or Enzalutamide in Metastatic Prostate Cancer.