GERONIMO PROJECT: Endocrine and autonomic resilience in geriatric oncology
Older adults receiving chemotherapy often differ greatly in how well they tolerate treatment, even when they appear clinically similar before treatment starts. Current geriatric oncology risk tools help clinicians identify vulnerable patients, but they do not fully capture biological resilience or the dynamic stress-system responses that may influence treatment-related toxicity.
GERONIMO investigates whether endocrine and autonomic stress-biology markers can improve the prediction of severe chemotherapy toxicity in older adults with cancer. The project focuses on the cortisol:DHEAS ratio as a marker of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis regulation and heart rate variability as a marker of autonomic nervous system function.
In this prospective project, older adults undergoing chemotherapy will be assessed using clinical risk scores, stress-system biomarkers, heart rate variability, and treatment toxicity outcomes. By combining baseline measurements with early changes during treatment, GERONIMO aims to determine whether biological stress-system profiles add clinically useful information beyond existing clinical prediction models.
The project will generate evidence on whether stress-system biomarkers can help identify patients at higher risk of severe toxicity and support more personalized monitoring, rehabilitation, and supportive care during cancer treatment.
Funding: FWO Junior Postdoctoral Fellowship Len De Nys 1284127N-7028 (2026–2029)
RERE PIs: Prof. Nele Adriaenssens, Prof. David Beckwée
Clinical co-supervision: Prof. Lore Decoster
More information: https://geronimo.lendenys.eu/