"We must learn to identify what is effective", Professor Toni Seppälä says

Mon, 28 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Professor of Cancer Research Toni Seppälä was profiled by Tampere University on his research and new professorship. His work explores ways to make cancer care more effective and less burdensome for patients, with a special focus on hereditary cancers and Lynch syndrome, while also looking ahead at how Finland can strengthen its expertise in cancer surgery and identify situations where less treatment may be better than more.

Seppälä’s research centers on colorectal cancer and Lynch syndrome, the most common hereditary cancer-predisposing genetic variant, carried by roughly 1 in 300 people in Finland. He argues that Finland needs stronger expertise in surgical oncology, a field bridging molecular medicine, oncology, and surgery to better connect emerging biological knowledge with surgical practice.

A growing part of his research focuses on de-escalation: investigating whether equally good outcomes can be achieved with less intensive and invasive treatment approaches, as the healthcare system reaches limits on what it can sustain.

Toni Seppälä was appointed Professor of Cancer Research at Tampere University in April 2026.

Read the full interview at Tampere University →

Professorship | Seppälä Lab

"We must learn to identify what is effective", Professor Toni Seppälä says