Exploring cancer pharmacology beyond plasma

Drugs play an important role in the treatment of cancer. This thesis describes the pharmacology of anticancer drugs, both in the laboratory and in cancer patients. Knowledge has been gained about the distribution of cancer drugs across different parts of the human body. When cancer drugs are administered locally in the abdominal cavity, a large proportion of these drugs also end up elsewhere in the body. This can affect both effectiveness and toxicity of the treatment. Laboratory testing was used to determine what amount of a drug is required to effectively inhibit cancer. The next step is to find out whether this amount can also be achieved in patient tumours. The findings of this thesis contribute to further optimization of cancer treatment.