Pernilla Lagergren

Pernilla Lagergren is, since 1st March 2018, Chair in Surgical Care Sciences on a part time basis at the Department of Surgery and Cancer.

She aims to develop the research area of cancer survivorship at the department and hope that the future research in this field will make a major contribution to improving the quality of life of cancer patients and their families.

Professor Lagergren is also the chair of the newly initiated Healthcare Professional Academic Group (HPAG)

Research description

Pernilla leads her own research group within surgical care science. Her main research area is health-related quality of life (HRQOL), particularly in patients with cancer of the oesophagus. Her research focuses on factors influencing the HRQOL and recovery after surgical treatment for cancer in a short and long-term perspective. Moreover, she evaluates if HRQOL can be used as a prognostic factor. Further, her research involves methodological development of the use and management of HRQOL data with the aim of facilitating the interpretation of patient reported outcomes and improving the evaluation of potential confounding factors. Her future research will continue to focus mainly on patients with oesophageal cancer, and she will develop this area using patient-reported outcome measures where aspects of psychosocial distress, social support and coping are among other. Moreover, her future research aims to include patients family and their need of support. She hopes that the future research in this field will make a major contribution to improving the quality of life of oesophageal cancer patients and their closest family.