IJGC conversations

In this IJGC podcast, Pedro Ramirez discusses Hormone replacement therapy in gynecologic cancer survivors with Blanca Gil-Ibáñez.

Dr. Blanca Gil-Ibáñez is a gynecologic oncologist at Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre in Madrid, Spain. She was the first ESGO fellow in gynecologic oncology in Spain and continues to be actively involved in ESGO, leading educational and training initiatives in gynecologic oncology.

She is actively involved in clinical research, with a particular interest in cervical cancer, survivorship, quality of life and sexual health. She coordinates the Surgical Committee of the Spanish Gynecologic Oncology Research Group (GEICO) and participates in several national and international research projects.

In this episode of the IJGC podcast, Editor-in-Chief Dr. Pedro Ramirez is joined by Drs. Charlotte LeJeune and Frédéric Amant to discuss ICG-Guided SLN Mapping in Cervical Cancer in Pregnancy. 

 

Dr. Charlotte LeJeune is a clinical fellow in High-Risk Obstetrics at University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium. She is currently finalising her PhD under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Frédéric Amant, founder of the International Network on Cancer, Infertility and Pregnancy (INCIP). Her research focuses on optimising the staging and treatment of cancer during pregnancy, with a particular emphasis on cervical cancer. She is an active member of the Advisory Board on Cancer, Infertility and Pregnancy (ABCIP). Her clinical and research interests focus on improving oncological and obstetric outcomes for pregnant patients diagnosed with cancer through multidisciplinary care and international collaboration.

 

Frédéric Amant (MD, PhD) received his medical degree from the University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Belgium in 1992, completed his specialty training as an obstetrician/gynecologist in 1998 and his subspecialty training in gynecologic oncology in 2000. He defended his thesis on uterine sarcomas in 2002 at the KU Leuven. He is specialist at the UZ Leuven in Belgium. He is professor at the KU Leuven in Belgium and at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, and honorary professor at the university of Pretoria, South Africa. Since 2024 he is council member of the European Society of Gynecologic Oncology.

Frédéric Amant heads the Gynecologic Oncology research section at the University of Leuven, Belgium and at the Netherlands Cancer Institute. In 2005 he founded the “International Network on Cancer, Infertility and Pregnancy” (INCIP)(www.cancerinpregnancy.org), and chairs this network up till now. Since 2014, INCIP also registers young women who aim to preserve their fertility. In 2021 he launched the Advisory Board Cancer Infertility Pregnancy (ABCIP) under the umbrella of INCIP. In addition, Frédéric Amant founded Trace, the tumor xenograft platform at the KU Leuven and the Fund for Innovative Research at the KU Leuven. He co-founded ENITEC, the European Network on Individualized Treatment of Endometrial Cancer. Since 2024 he is member of the research council at the KU Leuven.

In this episode of the IJGC podcast, Editor-in-Chief Dr. Pedro Ramirez is joined by Dr. Gabriel Levin to discuss Decline of Trachelectomy in Early Cervical Cancer. 

 

Dr. Gabriel Levin is a gynecologic oncologist and clinical researcher at Bar-Ilan University, and the Holy Family Hospital, Nazareth. His work focuses on real-world outcomes research, and health systems innovation in gynecologic cancers. He has authored more than 360 peer-reviewed publications and is actively involved in advancing evidence-based care through academic leadership, mentorship and international collaboration.

In this episode of the IJGC podcast, Editor-in-Chief Dr. Pedro Ramirez is joined by Drs. Alice Bergamini and Michael Seckl to discuss Management of Adult Ovarian Germ Cell Tumors. 

 

Dr. Alice Bergamini is a gynecologist at the Gynecology and Obstetrics Unit of IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, and a University Researcher at the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery at Vita-Salute San Raffaele University. After graduating with honors and a special mention in Medicine and Surgery from Vita-Salute San Raffaele University in 2011, she specialized in Gynecology and Obstetrics at the same university in 2017. In 2021, she completed her Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine (Clinical and Experimental Medicine curriculum).Dr. Bergamini's primary clinical interests include the diagnosis and treatment of gynecological neoplasms, particularly rare gynecological cancers.She is involved in gynecological ultrasound diagnostics, hysteroscopy, ward activities, delivery room, and obstetric/gynecological emergency care. Additionally, she conducts clinical research in gynecological oncology, serving as both principal and sub-investigator in Phase II and III clinical trials, both national and international. Dr. Bergamini is a member of EURACAN, the European Society of Gynecological Oncology (ESGO), the International Gynecological Cancer Society (IGCS), the European Network for Gynaecological Oncological Trial Groups (ENGOT) rare tumor working group, the Multicenter Italian Trials in Ovarian Cancer and Gynecologic Malignancies (MITO), and the European Organization for the Treatment of Trophoblastic Disease (EOTTD). She is the author and co-author of numerous articles published in international scientific journals (H-Index 19) and regularly participates in national and international conferences.

Michael Seckl is a Professor of Molecular Oncology at Imperial College London, where he leads research in lung cancer and trophoblastic disease. He earned his medical degree from UCL, completed oncology training, and obtained a PhD in signal transduction from the University of London. He directs the National Trophoblastic Disease and MOGCT Centre. An international leader in trophoblastic disease, he has held key roles in ISSTD, EOTTD, and EURACAN, and serves on multiple editorial and grant committees. His work is widely funded and recognized, earning him a Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci) in 2017.

In this episode of the IJGC podcast, Editor-in-Chief Dr. Pedro Ramirez, is joined by Dr. René Pareja to discuss Gynecologic Oncology Practice in Low & Middle Resource Settings.

 

Dr. René Pareja is a Gynecologist and Obstetrician, graduated from Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana in Medellín, Colombia in 2000; he finished his training in Gynecologic Oncology in 2003, from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana and Instituto Nacional de Cancerología in Bogotá, Colombia.

He is a minimally invasive surgeon, graduated from Corporación de Estudios de la Salud (CES) in 2013. He currently works at Astorga Oncology Clinic in Medellín and at National Cancer Institute in Bogotá, Colombia.
Dr. Pareja serves as a reviewer for more than 20 journals. He has authored or co-authored nine book chapters and more than fifty publications in peer-reviewed journals. Currently he is an Associate Editor of the International Journal of Gynaecological Cancer and is a Council member of the International Gynecological Cancer Society Council. He also serves as an international mentor for the Hospital General San Juan de Dios in Guatemala through the IGCS Global Curriculum & Mentorship Program. Some of his research has influenced how gynecologic oncologists treat cancer and has been published in important medical journals, like the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, and Journal of Clinical Oncology.