IPS Guest Researcher Mirjam Oomens Featured in de Volkskrant on the Impact of Prognoses in Cancer Care

On Saturday, June 21, 2025, de Volkskrant published an in-depth article on the effects of medical prognoses for terminally ill patients. In the piece, IPS guest researcher and philosopher of language Mirjam Oomens speaks candidly about her own experience with cancer and how receiving a life expectancy estimate deeply affected her for years.

She raises the question of whether it is truly beneficial to give patients precise predictions about their remaining time. Together with her physician, she previously wrote a critical article for Medisch Contact, examining the role of language and the so-called nocebo effect—where negative expectations can lead to worse outcomes.

Oomens is currently a guest researcher in the nocebo studies led by Prof. Dr. Andrea Evers at Leiden University. Her personal and academic insights highlight the power of words—especially in the consultation room.