Hans Langenhuijsen appointed as Professor of Adrenal Surgery

Urologist Hans Langenhuijsen has been appointed Professor of Adrenal Surgery at Radboud university medical center / Radboud University. He is committed to innovative and personalized adrenal care within strong strategic networks. His research focuses on new diagnostic methods to detect tumors and on developing smart techniques to preserve healthy adrenal tissue during surgery.

The adrenal glands are small glands that sit like caps on top of the kidneys. They produce hormones and play a role in hormone regulation, stress response, metabolism, and blood pressure. Adrenal disorders are rare: in the Netherlands, about five hundred operations are performed annually, concentrated in expert centers. Radboudumc performs the largest share of these procedures.

Langenhuijsen, a specialist in adrenal surgery, explains that there are two main reasons to remove an adrenal gland: ‘An adrenal gland may produce too many hormones, such as adrenaline. Additionally, a malignant tumor may develop. This could be an adrenocortical carcinoma, a rare tumor occurring in one in a million people. Or it could be a metastasis from another type of cancer, such as a lung tumor. Then there’s also pheochromocytoma, a hormone-producing tumor that generates excessive adrenaline.’

Treasure trove of tissues

People have two adrenal glands and can live with just one, similar to living with one kidney. But sometimes it’s better to preserve as much of the organ as possible, especially if someone is already missing one adrenal gland. ‘For organ preserving surgery we need imaging. We currently use hormone measurements in blood, and CT, MRI, or ultrasound’, says Langenhuijsen. But he aims to develop something new: making tumors fluorescent so they light up during surgery. This allows the surgeon to precisely remove only the tumor and leave the healthy adrenal tissue intact.

Langenhuijsen also wants to study adrenal tumors in more detail. This is possible thanks to the biobank at Radboudumc, which stores over a thousand rare adrenal tumors. A treasure trove of tissues revealing various properties of these tumors. ‘For example, we know that adrenal metastases often respond much worse to immunotherapy than metastases elsewhere in the body. Together with the Experimental Urology lab, I want to investigate why. We look at things like the number and quality of white blood cells in the tumor.’

More patient-friendly

Another condition Langenhuijsen investigates extensively is primary aldosteronism. This is caused by a benign tumor in the adrenal gland that produces too much of the hormone aldosterone. Langenhuijsen: ‘To determine which adrenal gland is responsible, we currently take blood samples from the adrenal veins via the groin and measure aldosterone levels. This is invasive, burdensome, and expensive.’ A new PET/CT scan using mildly radioactive Pentixafor may offer a much more patient-friendly alternative. A large study involving five hospitals, the CASTUS study, is currently investigating whether this scan can replace the current method.

This study is a great example of collaboration, which Langenhuijsen says is crucial for rare conditions. At Radboudumc, this happens through multidisciplinary care involving various specialties, including Internal Medicine. Nationally, the Dutch Adrenal Network plays a major role, with Radboudumc collaborating closely with Isala Zwolle and within the Academic Alliance with MUMC+. A key European platform is eUROGEN. Langenhuijsen also works closely with the Dutch patient association Bijniervereniging NVACP and with BijnierNET.

Career

Hans Langenhuijsen studied Medicine at the University of Amsterdam (UvA). He then trained as a urologist at Radboudumc and CWZ, followed by a fellowship in laparoscopy and oncological urology. Since 2008, he has been a urologist at Radboudumc. He earned his PhD in 2012 with a dissertation titled ‘Developments in prostate cancer treatment; improving complication rates’. In addition to his clinical and research work, Langenhuijsen is intensively involved in teaching, including training medical residents.

At Radboudumc, Langenhuijsen is a board member of the Expertise Center for Adrenal Diseases. Nationally, he serves on the scientific advisory board of the Dutch Adrenal Network (DAN), a multidisciplinary working group. Internationally, he organizes the Radboudumc Adrenal Masterclass and coordinates adrenal tumor efforts within the European network eUROGEN. His appointment as professor began on September 1, 2025, for a term of five years.

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