The Department of Clinical Oncology presently provides a service to Greater Manchester and Cheshire, and parts of Lancashire, through regular clinics, staffed by its consultants. The departmentalso participates in the clinical undergraduate teaching programme of the University of Manchester and there are dedicated courses for postgraduate students.

Recent Submissions

  • The role of positron emission tomography in management of small cell lung cancer.

    Thomson, David J; Hulse, Paul; Lorigan, Paul C; Faivre-Finn, Corinne; Department of Clinical Oncology, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Road, Withington, Manchester M20 4BX, UK. (2011-08)
    Accurate radiological staging of small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is of paramount importance in selection of individual patients with limited stage disease for potentially curative treatment while avoiding toxic treatment in those with distant metastatic disease. [(18)F] flurodeoxy-D-glucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) is an attractive tool for this purpose but there is limited evidence to support its use in the routine staging of SCLC. Whether therapeutic decisions based on FDG-PET imaging should be made remains uncertain. There is only preliminary evidence for use of FDG-PET as a prognostic biomarker, in the assessment of response to treatment and delineation of disease in conformal radiation planning.
  • Prediction of post-treatment trismus in head and neck cancer patients.

    Lee, Rana; Slevin, Nicholas J; Musgrove, Brian; Swindell, Ric; Molassiotis, Alexander; Christie Hospital NHS Trust, Manchester M20 4BX, UK. (2011-07-25)
    Our aim was to establish the incidence of trismus over time, together with risk factors (including quality of life (QoL)) for the prediction of trismus after treatment in patients with cancer of the head and neck. It was a longitudinal study of 152 patients accepted for primary operation who attended the head and neck cancer clinic of a tertiary referral cancer centre in the United Kingdom. A total of 87 patients was studied prospectively. Our results showed that 41/87 (47%) of patients presented with trismus, 57/80 (71%) had postoperative trismus, and 41/52 (79%) had trismus 6 months after operation or radiotherapy (trismus defined as a maximum mouth opening of ≤35mm). Men and those who drank a lot of alcohol were less likely to have trismus after treatment. QoL variables showed that pain, eating, chewing, taste, saliva, social functioning, social contact, and dry mouth were significantly more impaired in the trismus group than among those without trismus. Postoperative differences in QoL between the two groups highlighted problems with social function and role-playing, fatigue, activity, recreation, and overall reduction in QoL. Women, and those who do not drink alcohol, are at particularly high risk of developing trismus, and, to prevent it and treat it, patients may benefit from multidisciplinary management at an early stage during treatment.
  • SCOTCERV: a phase II trial of docetaxel and gemcitabine as second line chemotherapy in cervical cancer.

    Symonds, R P; Davidson, Susan E; Chan, S; Reed, N S; McMahon, T; Rai, D; Harden, S; Paul, J; University of Leicester, Department of Cancer Studies & Molecular Medicine, Leicester, UK. (2011-10)
    The aim of the study was to determine the response rate and response duration of cervical cancer previously treated by cisplatin (with or without radiation) to a combination of docetaxel and gemcitabine. Secondary endpoints were assessment of toxicity and quality of life (QoL) of patients receiving the treatment.
  • Guidelines for preclinical and early phase clinical assessment of novel radiosensitisers.

    Harrington, K J; Billingham, L J; Brunner, T B; Burnet, N G; Chan, C S; Hoskin, P; Mackay, Ranald I; Maughan, T S; Macdougall, J; McKenna, W G; et al. (2011-08-23)
  • Development and validation of a nomogram for prediction of survival and local control in laryngeal carcinoma patients treated with radiotherapy alone: a cohort study based on 994 patients.

    Egelmeer, A G T M; Velazquez, E R; de Jong, J M A; Oberije, C; Geussens, Y; Nuyts, S; Kremer, B; Rietveld, D; Leemans, C R; de Jong, M; et al. (2011-07)
    To advise laryngeal carcinoma patients on the most appropriate form of treatment, a tool to predict survival and local control is needed.
  • Randomised phase II trial of 4 dose levels of single agent docetaxel in performance status (PS) 2 patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): DOC PS2 trial. Manchester lung cancer group.

    Califano, Raffaele; Griffiths, Richard W; Lorigan, Paul C; Ashcroft, Linda; Taylor, Paul; Burt, Paul A; Lee, Lip W; Chittalia, Abbas; Harris, Maggie A; Faivre-Finn, Corinne; et al. (2011-09)
    The role of chemotherapy for advanced NSCLC patients and ECOG PS2 remains controversial. We evaluated 4 doses of 3-weekly docetaxel to identify a less toxic, clinically effective dose.
  • European genome-wide association study identifies SLC14A1 as a new urinary bladder cancer susceptibility gene.

    Rafnar, T; Vermeulen, S H; Sulem, P; Thorleifsson, G; Aben, Katja K H; Witjes, J A; Grotenhuis, A J; Verhaegh, G W; Hulsbergen-van de Kaa, C A; Besenbacher, S; et al. (2011-11-01)
    Three genome-wide association studies in Europe and the USA have reported eight urinary bladder cancer (UBC) susceptibility loci. Using extended case and control series and 1000 Genomes imputations of 5 340 737 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), we searched for additional loci in the European GWAS. The discovery sample set consisted of 1631 cases and 3822 controls from the Netherlands and 603 cases and 37 781 controls from Iceland. For follow-up, we used 3790 cases and 7507 controls from 13 sample sets of European and Iranian ancestry. Based on the discovery analysis, we followed up signals in the urea transporter (UT) gene SLC14A. The strongest signal at this locus was represented by a SNP in intron 3, rs17674580, that reached genome-wide significance in the overall analysis of the discovery and follow-up groups: odds ratio = 1.17, P = 7.6 × 10(-11). SLC14A1 codes for UTs that define the Kidd blood group and are crucial for the maintenance of a constant urea concentration gradient in the renal medulla and, through this, the kidney's ability to concentrate urine. It is speculated that rs17674580, or other sequence variants in LD with it, indirectly modifies UBC risk by affecting urine production. If confirmed, this would support the 'urogenous contact hypothesis' that urine production and voiding frequency modify the risk of UBC.
  • Phase II study of cisplatin and imatinib in advanced salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma.

    Ghosal, N; Mais, Kathleen L; Shenjere, Patrick; Julyan, Peter J; Hastings, David L; Ward, Timothy H; Ryder, W David J; Bruce, I; Homer, Jarrod J; Slevin, Nicholas J; et al. (2011-10)
    Patients with adenoid cystic carcinoma of the salivary glands show over-expression of KIT in a high proportion of cases. Options for systemic treatment are limited in locally advanced and metastatic disease. We explored the efficacy of imatinib and cisplatin combined in this group of patients. A Gehan's two-stage, phase II trial was conducted on 28 patients. Those with progressive, locally advanced, and metastatic disease with an over-expression of KIT were treated with single agent imatinib 800 mg daily for two months, followed by a combination of imatinib 400mg daily and cisplatin 80 mg/m(2) at four-weekly intervals for six cycles. This was followed by maintenance single agent imatinib 400mg daily until the disease progressed. Response was monitored using fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) and morphological imaging using computed tomography, magnetic resonance, and chest radiographs (CT/MRI/CXR). Morphological imaging showed partial response in three of 28 patients, and five patients showed a response on FDG-PET. In addition, 19 patients had useful stabilisation of disease. The median time to progression and overall survival was 15 months (range 1-43) and 35 months (range 1-75), respectively. The combination of imatinib and cisplatin was reasonably well tolerated. This combination may provide stabilisation in locally advanced and metastatic adenoid cystic carcinoma of the salivary glands.
  • Inconsistencies in the care of head and neck cancer patients experiencing trismus.

    Lee, Rana; Slevin, Nicholas J; The Christie Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester (2011-09)
  • Non-standard radical treatment of skin cancer.

    McPartlin, Andrew J; Slevin, Nicholas J; The Christie Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester (2011-09)
  • Use of G-CSF during concurrent chemotherapy and thoracic radiotherapy in patients with limited-stage small-cell lung cancer safety data from a phase II trial.

    Sheikh, Hamid Y; Colaco, Rovel J; Lorigan, Paul C; Blackhall, Fiona H; Califano, Raffaele; Ashcroft, Linda; Taylor, Paul; Thatcher, Nick; Faivre-Finn, Corinne; Dept of Clinical Oncology, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK. (2011-10)
    There is paucity of data in the literature regarding the safety of combining granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) during chemo-radiotherapy (CTRT) in lung cancer patients. The ASCO 2006 recommendations advise against use of CSFs during concomitant mediastinal CTRT. The only randomised study evaluating CSFs in this context showed significant increase in grade 3/4 thrombocytopenia and an excess of pulmonary toxic deaths. In the context of a phase II trial, 38 patients with limited-stage small cell lung cancer were randomised to receive once-daily (66 Gy in 33 fractions) or twice-daily (45 Gy in 30 fractions) radiotherapy. Radiotherapy (RT) was given concurrently with cisplatin and etoposide. G-CSF was given as primary or secondary prophylaxis or as a therapeutic measure during an episode of febrile neutropenia according to local protocols. Common terminology criteria for adverse events (CTCAE) v3.0 was used to record toxicity. Thirteen (34%) of 38 patients received G-CSF concurrently with RT. With a median follow-up of 16.9 months, there were no treatment related deaths reported. Seven (54%) patients experienced grade 3/4 thrombocytopenia and 5 (38%) experienced grade 3/4 anaemia. Thirty-one percent required platelet transfusions. No episodes of bleeding were observed. There were no cases of grade 3/4 acute pneumonitis. These data suggests that with modern three-dimensional (3D) conformal RT, G-CSF administration concurrently with CTRT does not result in the increase risk of pulmonary toxicity, but does increase the risk of thrombocytopenia. Whether the risks of thrombocytopenia are outweighed by the outcome of timely early concurrent CTRT is being evaluated prospectively in the ongoing phase III CONVERT trial (NCT00433563) in which G-CSF is permitted during thoracic irradiation.
  • Late-onset bowel dysfunction after pelvic radiotherapy: a national survey of current practice and opinions of clinical oncologists.

    Henson, Caroline C; Andreyev, H J; Symonds, R P; Peel, D; Swindell, Ric; Davidson, Susan E; The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK. Caroline.Henson@christie.nhs.uk (2011-10)
    Seventeen thousand patients receive treatment with radical pelvic radiotherapy annually in the UK. It is common for patients to develop gastrointestinal symptoms after treatment. The aim of this study was to determine the current practice of clinical oncologists in the UK with respect to late-onset bowel dysfunction after pelvic radiotherapy, and to discuss the wider issues surrounding current and future service provision for this patient group.
  • Gastrointestinal symptoms after pelvic radiotherapy: a national survey of gastroenterologists.

    Henson, Caroline C; Davidson, Susan E; Lalji, A; Symonds, R P; Swindell, Ric; Andreyev, H J; Department of Radiotherapy Related Research, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Road, Manchester, M20 4BX, UK, caroline.henson@christie.nhs.uk. (2011-11-13)
    PURPOSE: Seventeen thousand patients receive treatment with radical pelvic radiotherapy annually in the UK. Up to 50% develop significant gastrointestinal symptoms. The National Cancer Survivorship Initiative has identified access to specialist medical care for those with complications after cancer as one of their four key needs. We aimed to determine the current practice of British gastroenterologists with regards to chronic gastrointestinal symptoms after pelvic radiotherapy. METHODS: A questionnaire was developed and sent up to a maximum of five times to all UK consultant gastroenterologists. RESULTS: Eight hundred sixty-six gastroenterologists were approached and 165 (20%) responded. Sixty-one percent saw one to four patients annually with bowel symptoms after radiotherapy. Eighteen percent rate the current treatments as effective "often" or "most of the time". Forty-seven percent of gastroenterologists consider themselves "confident with basic cases", with 11% "confident in all cases". Fifty-nine percent thinks a gastroenterologist with a specialist interest should manage these patients. Although only 29% thinks a specific service is required for these patients, 34% rates the current service as inadequate. The ideal service was considered to be gastroenterology-led, multidisciplinary and regional. Low referral rates, poor evidence-base and poor funding are cited as reasons for the current patchy services. CONCLUSIONS: The low response rate contrasts with that from a parallel survey of clinical oncologists. This may reflect the opinion that radiation-induced bowel toxicity is not a significant issue, which may be because only a small proportion of patients are referred to gastroenterologists. The development of new, evidence-based gastroenterology-led services is considered the optimal way to meet the needs of these patients.
  • Bladder preservation multimodality therapy as an alternative to radical cystectomy for treatment of muscle invasive bladder cancer.

    Choudhury, Ananya; Cowan, Richard A; The Christie Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester (2011-11)
  • Omitting elective nodal irradiation during thoracic irradiation in limited-stage small cell lung cancer - Evidence from a phase II trial.

    Colaco, Rovel J; Sheikh, Hamid Y; Lorigan, Paul C; Blackhall, Fiona H; Hulse, Paul; Califano, Raffaele; Ashcroft, Linda; Taylor, Paul; Thatcher, Nick; Faivre-Finn, Corinne; et al. (2012-04)
    Omitting elective nodal irradiation (ENI) in limited-stage disease small cell lung cancer (LD-SCLC) is expected to result in smaller radiation fields. We report on data from a randomised phase II trial that omitted ENI in patients receiving concurrent chemo-radiotherapy for LD-SCLC. 38 patients with LD-SCLC were randomised to receive once-daily (66Gy in 33 fractions) or twice-daily (45Gy in 30 fractions) radiotherapy (RT). 3D-conformal RT was given concurrently with cisplatin and etoposide starting with the second cycle of a total of four cycles. The gross tumour volume was defined as primary tumour with involved lymph nodes (nodes ≥1cm in short axis) identifiable with CT imaging. ENI was not used. Six recurrence patterns were identified: recurrence within planning target volume (PTV) only, recurrence within PTV+regional nodal recurrence and/or distant recurrence, isolated nodal recurrence outside PTV, nodal recurrence outside PTV+distant recurrence, distant metastases only and no recurrence. At median follow-up 16.9 months, 31/38 patients were evaluable and 14/31 patients had relapsed. There were no isolated nodal recurrences. Eight patients relapsed with intra-thoracic disease: 2 within PTV only, 4 within PTV and distantly and 2 with nodal recurrence outside PTV plus distant metastases. Rates of grade 3+ acute oesophagitis and pneumonitis in the 31 evaluable patients were 23 and 3% respectively. In our study of LD-SCLC, omitting ENI based on CT imaging was not associated with a high risk of isolated nodal recurrence, although further prospective studies are needed to confirm this. Routine ENI omission will be further evaluated prospectively in the ongoing phase III CONVERT trial (NCT00433563).
  • What Three Wise Men have to say about diagnosis.

    Mani, Navin; Slevin, Nicholas J; Hudson, Andrew M; Department of Head and Neck Surgical Oncology, Christie Hospital, Manchester M20 4BX, UK. (2011)
  • Guidelines on the investigation and management of follicular lymphoma.

    McNamara, C; Davies, J; Dyer, M; Hoskin, P; Illidge, Timothy M; Lyttelton, M; Marcus, R; Montoto, S; Ramsay, A; Wong, W L; et al. (2012-02)
  • Targeted agents in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): Clinical developments and rationale for the combination with thoracic radiotherapy.

    Koh, Pek K; Faivre-Finn, Corinne; Blackhall, Fiona H; De Ruysscher, D; Department of Clinical Oncology, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Road, Manchester M20 4BX, UK. (2011-12-22)
    In recent years there has been undoubted progress in the evaluation and development of targeted agents for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A major contributor has been the discovery of molecular subtypes harbouring a critical oncogenic driver mutation, specifically sensitizing mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene and the EML4-ALK gene translocation. Radiotherapy is a cornerstone of therapy for the curative intent treatment of early stage, localized disease; and for the palliation of symptoms in advanced, metastatic disease. In this molecular targeted era there is limited understanding of how best to combine targeted agents with radiotherapy and in general clinical studies with radiotherapy have lagged behind studies of targeted agents with chemotherapy. Here we summarise the progress made to date and highlight future directions.
  • Addition of novel degenerate electrical waveform stimulation with photodynamic therapy significantly enhances its cytotoxic effect in keloid fibroblasts: first report of a potential combination therapy.

    Sebastian, A; Allan, Ernest; Allan, Donald; Colthurst, J; Bayat, A; Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Research, School of Translational Medicine, Manchester Interdisciplinary Biocentre (MIB), The University of Manchester, UK. (2011-12)
    We recently reported use of photodynamic therapy (PDT) for treating keloid disease (KD). However, in view of high recurrence rates post any treatment modality, adjuvant therapies should be considered. Additionally, we previously demonstrated the effect of a novel electrical waveform, the degenerate wave (DW) on differential gene expression in keloid fibroblasts.
  • Metastatic bladder cancer: a review of current management.

    Fletcher, Andrew; Choudhury, Ananya; Alam, Nooreen; Department of Palliative and Supportive Care, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Road, Manchester M20 4BX, UK. (2011)
    Bladder cancer continues to result in substantial morbidity and mortality for affected individuals. Advances in the management of metastatic bladder cancer have been limited. Chemotherapy with platinum-based regimes remains the mainstay of first-line treatment. Studies investigating alternative regimes have offered no survival advantage. Targeted therapies may offer benefit either as single agent or in combination with chemotherapy. Symptoms due to metastatic bladder cancer impact patients' quality of life, and therefore holistic management is vital. Such management includes radiotherapy, bisphosphonates, and the involvement of specialist palliative care services. This review will discuss the current management for metastatic bladder cancer, future potential treatment modalities, and the evidence to support the management strategies.

View more