{"entity":{"id":"geerard-beets","kind":"person","name":"Geerard Beets","aka":[],"tldr":"Colorectal surgeon and ESSO President, internationally known for watch-and-wait organ preservation in rectal cancer.","summary":"Geerard Beets is President of the European Society of Surgical Oncology (ESSO) and Chair of Surgery at Maastricht University Medical Centre. His research has helped establish organ-preserving 'watch-and-wait' strategies for rectal cancer after complete response to chemoradiotherapy, including the International Watch & Wait Database. He has also held senior roles at the Netherlands Cancer Institute.","asOf":"2026-09-10","links":[{"label":"Society page","url":"https://www.essoweb.org/about/governance/"},{"label":"PubMed","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Beets+GL%5BAuthor%5D"}],"tags":["leadership","clinician-scientist","colorectal cancer","surgical oncology"],"related":[],"cancers":["colorectal"],"sections":[],"technologies":[],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":[],"institutions":["esso"],"pathways":[],"terms":[],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":["critical-reviews-in-oncology-hematology"],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"role":"President","institutionId":"esso","specialisms":["Surgical oncology","Colorectal cancer","Rectal cancer organ preservation"],"profiles":[{"label":"Society page","url":"https://www.essoweb.org/about/governance/"},{"label":"PubMed","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Beets+GL%5BAuthor%5D"}],"papers":[{"title":"ECCO Essential Requirements for Quality Cancer Care: Colorectal Cancer. A critical review","journal":"Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology","year":2017,"doi":"10.1016/j.critrevonc.2016.12.001"}],"orcid":"0000-0002-1671-9912"},"route":"/people/geerard-beets/","neighbours":{"cancer":[{"id":"colorectal","kind":"cancer","name":"Colorectal cancer","route":"/cancers/colorectal/"}],"institution":[{"id":"esso","kind":"institution","name":"European Society of Surgical Oncology","route":"/institutions/esso/"}],"journal":[{"id":"critical-reviews-in-oncology-hematology","kind":"journal","name":"Critical reviews in oncology/hematology","route":"/journals/critical-reviews-in-oncology-hematology/"}]}}