Oxford Desk Reference: Oncology

Thankamma Ajithkumar, Consultant Clinical Oncologist, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK,Ann Barrett, Professor Emeritus, University of East Anglia, Norfolk, UK,Helen Hatcher, Consultant in TYA and Medical Oncology, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK,Sarah Jane Jefferies, Consultant Clinical Oncologist, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK

Dr Ajithkumar is a Consultant Clinical Oncologist at Addenbrooke's Hospital. He undertook a research fellowship in the Royal Marsden Hospital, London followed by speciality training in Clinical Oncology in the Eastern Deanery before becoming a Consultant Clinical Oncologist at the Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre in 2006. In 2009 he moved to Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals, subsequently moving to Cambridge in 2014. His research interest is to optimize the combination of radiotherapy with novel agents in paediatric brain tumours and hepato-pancreatico-biliary tumours to improve clinical outcomes. Dr Ajithkumar is Chair of the European Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOPE) Brain Tumour Radiotherapy group. He is the principal investigator for the international Pediatric Normal Tissue Effects in the Clinic (PENTEC) Re-irradiation working group. He is also the radiotherapy lead for the CCLG CNS GCT subgroup and the radiotherapy research lead for the Cancer Research Network: Eastern.

Ann Barrett is Emeritus Professor of Oncology at the University of East Anglia, England, and was formerly deputy dean of the School of Medicine and lead clinician for oncology at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust. She was awarded an OBE in 2010 for services to medicine and is a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.

Dr Hatcher is the Clinical and Regional lead for sarcoma and for teenagers and young adults with a variety of types of cancer. She specialises in sarcomas, paediatric tumours, late effects and survivorship and other rare cancers. She qualified in medicine at the University of Cambridge and has trained at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London. Her PhD and post-doctoral research investigated the genetics of tumour progression and secondary cancers. She has worked at the National Cancer Institute in the USA and the Haemonc unit at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Her current research interests include drug treatments in sarcomas, and psychological impacts of cancer. She is a member of the NCRN sarcoma clinical studies group, Regional Lead for sarcoma research and lead investigator in several multicentre and international trials.

Dr Sarah Jefferies is the Clinical Director for Cancer at Addenbrooke's Hospital. She qualified from University College London and trained in clinical oncology at the Royal Marsden Hospital. She undertook a PhD at the Institute of Cancer Research. Dr Jefferies specialist interests are the management of central nervous system (CNS) tumours and thyroid cancers. Dr Jefferies is lead investigator for a number of multicentre studies for CNS and thyroid tumours. She has an interest in teaching and leads both national and international courses in the management of CNS tumours. She is a member of the National Cancer Research Institute Brain Tumour group and is the chair of the Glioma Sub-group.