Remco de Bree

Remco de Bree, MD, PhD is Professor of Head and Neck Surgical Oncology and Head of the Head and Neck Surgical Oncology program at University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU), one of Europe's leading comprehensive cancer centers. He is among the most productive and internationally recognized head and neck surgical oncologists in Europe, with particular expertise in free flap reconstructive surgery following major head and neck cancer resections, sentinel lymph node biopsy in oral cavity cancer, and minimally invasive endoscopic and robotic approaches to head and neck malignancies. Dr. de Bree is a founding investigator of the SENT (Sentinel Node Trial) — the landmark European multicenter trial that validated sentinel node biopsy as a safe and accurate staging procedure for clinically node-negative oral cancer (T1-2 N0), demonstrating that SLN biopsy identifies occult nodal metastases with a sensitivity of 86% and spares the majority of patients from elective neck dissection. The trial results, published in The Lancet Oncology, have led to integration of SLN biopsy into European head and neck cancer guidelines as an alternative to elective neck dissection. Beyond sentinel node work, Dr. de Bree has led major clinical studies on functional outcomes after reconstructive surgery, including tongue and mandibular reconstruction with vascularized free flaps, optimization of anastomotic techniques, and integration of virtual surgical planning and 3D-printed cutting guides into jaw reconstruction. He has also contributed extensively to research on transoral robotic surgery (TORS) for oropharyngeal cancer, demonstrating functional and survival outcomes comparable to radiation in selected patients.