A Yorkshire Cancer Research scientist has earned himself a national medical award for helping pioneer life-saving surgical improvements to the way tumours are removed from colon cancer patients.
Clinical researcher, Dr Nick West, 30, who works at St. James's University Hospital in Leeds, has been awarded the British Oncological Association's Young Investigator Award for his joint research which reveals that undertaking a new approach to colon cancer surgery produces superior colon cancer specimens by removing more tissue, blood vessels and lymph nodes around the tumour therefore reducing the chances of cancer spread.
Dr West's research involved assessing 263 Danish colon cancer patients and followed a previous study on patients from Leeds which was published in Lancet Oncology.
It demonstrates that carefully removing a specific part of the diseased colon from the bowel of colon cancer patients results in a 15 percent greater overall survival at five years compared to using previous standard surgical techniques.
Dr West hopes this improved way of removing colon-specific tumours and collecting superior tumour specimens will now become main stream surgical procedure in hospital theatres internationally especially now the research has earned him a high-profile award.
He said: "Our previous research, funded as part of a joint funding venture with Yorkshire Cancer Research, resulted in the adoption of a new surgical treatment for rectal cancer tumours around the world which has improved patient outcome significantly.
"But given that two thirds of colorectal cancers actually occur in the colon further up the bowel we wanted to see if we could use a similar surgical approach to improve patient outcome for colon cancer sufferers as well.
"Our research team in Leeds has shown that using this improved technique to remove colon cancer tumours results in a 15 percent greater overall survival at 5 years compared to the outcome when using standard surgical techniques.
"We have shown in particular that the approach also produces a superior specimen which removes more tissue, blood vessels and lymph nodes around the tumour reducing the chance of spread.
"Hopefully this award highlights how simple surgical education like this can potentially save more lives when compared to expensive chemotherapy which can currently only improve survival for patients by between three to ten percent at best."
British Oncological Association judges at the 2010 Excellence in Oncology Awards in Liverpool earlier this month, which recognise UK healthcare professionals who have made a significant improvement to the care of cancer patients, praised Dr West's work and said it was an example of a surgical education programme at its very best.
Richard Sainsbury, President of the BOA, Consultant Breast Surgeon at Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust, and Chair of the judges' committee, added: "In an increasingly frugal climate, the judges were deeply impressed to find so many outstanding projects focused on patient outcomes like Nick West's which also demonstrated clear savings for the NHS.
"These awards are a testimony to the outstanding work being performed by UK oncology professionals every single day.
Yorkshire Cancer Research Chief Executive Mark Stevens said: "We are delighted that one of our funded researchers has received such a prestigious award from the British Oncological Association.
"We're funding several ongoing bowel cancer research projects at St James's Hospital in Leeds and we're delighted to be associated with a centre of excellence that is producing the life-saving cancer treatments of tomorrow. Once again, Yorkshire is punching above its weight in the fight against cancer."
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