Specialist Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT)
At UCLH you will be looked after by a specialist multidisciplinary team (MDT). The MDT consists of consultant surgeons, established clinical nurse specialists, an enhanced recovery nurse as well as a dedicated dietician and ward staff. All members of staff have specialist training and experience in diagnosing, treating and supporting patients with oesophageal and gastric cancer.
The Upper GI Cancer MDT meeting
The MDT meets every week to discuss the diagnosis and treatment plan of individual patients. They ensure that each patient is given the same high standard of care and has the most appropriate investigations and treatment.
The unit has very close links with the oncology department at UCH and medical and surgical teams in the other North London hospitals.
As part of your cancer treatment you may require surgery. The surgeon treating you will be a specialist consultant in oral and maxillofacial surgery, or a consultant ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgeon.
Oncologists are specialists in the chemotherapy or radiotherapy treatment used to treat your type of cancer.
Consultant radiologists are specialists in examining and interpreting x-rays, CT scans, MRI scans, bone scans and other diagnostic tests to diagnose disease.
Clinical Nurse Specialists are qualified nurses with specialist training and extensive experience in treating patients with your type of cancer. They offer advice and support throughout your diagnosis, treatment and follow-up.#
Your CNS may also act as your ‘key-worker’ during your treatment, which means they are a consistent point of contact for you, your family and any professionals involved in your care.
Speech and language therapists provide treatment which aims to maximise abilities relating to speech, voice, swallowing and communication.
Speech and language therapists provide treatment which aims to maximise abilities relating to speech, voice, swallowing and communication.
Dietitians are nutrition professionals who use their extensive knowledge of the science of food and nutrition to ensure best possible nutritional care.
Physiotherapists and occupational therapists will work closely together to assist you in returning to independence following your treatment.
Macmillan Support Workers provide one-to-one patient support, advice and guidance, and links patients to the Macmillan Support and Information Service at UCLH.
The MDT Coordinator makes sure that cancer patients are prioritised and treated within the 62 day timeframe set by national guidelines.
The MDT Coordinator organises Multidisciplinary Team Meetings (MTM) and discussions of cancer patient care between clinical teams, allied health professionals and administration staff. Each cancer patient is discussed at the MTM where the experience of all staff is used to put the best plan for the patient forward.
Consultants
Khaled graduated from the University of Cambridge and completed his surgical training in London, Oxford and Australia. He leads the Upper GI surgery team as well as being in charge of Audit and Education and was the Royal College of Surgeons tutor until 2016. Khaled specialises in oesophageal and gastric cancer as well as surgery for benign conditions of the stomach and oesophagus.
Khaled’s academic interests focus on streamlining care as well as the optimisation and customisation of care to each patient.
Matthew Banks is a gastroenterologist at UCLH with an interest in oesophago-gastric disease including Barrett's oesophagus, acid reflux, cancer, endoscopic ultrasound and interventional endoscopy. He undertakes Endoscopic sub mucosal dissection and mucosal resection for early gastric and oesophageal cancer (ESD and EMR), laser therapy for cancer, radiofrequency ablation (HALO RFA) for Barrett's oesophagus, dilatation and stenting.
Prof John Bridgewater specialises in gastrointestinal oncology, with a particular interest in biliary tract cancers and carcinomas of unknown primary origin. He leads the National Cancer Research Institute subgroup in biliary tract malignancy and is actively involved in the research portfolio. He is also active in trials across the gastrointestinal portfolio and is a member of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer. He has a laboratory programme investigation Carcinoma of Unknown Primary based at the UCL Cancer Institute.
Professor Daniel Hochhauser is a consultant medical oncologist specialising in management of gastrointestinal cancer. Following medical studies in Cambridge and London Universities, he carried out research and postgraduate training in Oxford University and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre, New York, USA. He is Co-Director of the CRUK-UCL Centre, directs a laboratory programme on novel therapies and leads early-phase clinical trials.
Miss Frances Hughes is a consultant surgeon with a special interest in oesophago-gastric cancer surgery. She qualified from The London Hospital Medical College in 1988, obtaining the fellowship of The Royal College of Surgeons in 1992. She undertook a period of research into gastrointestinal motility and reflexes and obtained a Master of Surgery degree in 1996 and completed her surgical training in 2000.
She established and led the Oesophagogastric Cancer Centre for East London.
As a general surgeon with an interest in gastrointestinal surgery Miss Hughes work includes management of benign and malignant conditions, using minimally invasive techniques wherever possible.
Miss Hughes is a Member of the Court of Examiners of the Royal College of Surgeons
Professor Lovat is a consultant gastroenterologist specialising in gastroesophageal reflux disease, Barrett’s oesophagus and upper gastrointestinal cancer. He graduated from University College London Medical School in 1987 and obtained his PhD at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School, Hammersmith Hospital. He joined UCLH in 1999 and now heads the Bloomsbury Campus of the Division for Surgery & Interventional Science at UCL.
He is active in clinical translational research to prevent oesophageal cancer, with particular interests in radiofrequency ablation and novel optical biopsy techniques. He is the chief investigator for the UK National HALO Patient Registry.
“My aim is to disrupt standard medical approaches. We brought in minimally invasive treatments to replace surgery in patients with early cancer of the oesophagus. We are now looking into ways to save people from unnecessary endoscopy and have promising early results. If we can diagnose and treat people quickly and easily, that means less time in hospital and more time enjoying life. It is a goal worth striving for.”
Mr Mohammadi was appointed in 2013 and is an integral member of the Upper Gastrointestinal and General Surgery Unit. He is the clinical lead of the specialist oesophago-gastric MDT and the elective care transformation programme at UCLH.
He has a commitment to ongoing research in translational medicine, and is an investigator in the forthcoming proton beam therapy and oesophageal cancer research. He is currently developing the robotic programme in oesophago-gastric cancer surgery at UCLH.
Mr Mohammadi has an expanding interest in, and manages, a wide range of complex cases that require tertiary centre referral. He has gained a reputation for teaching, training and has excellent published outcomes in oesophago-gastric surgery.
Mr Rohatgi is a trained general surgeon specialising in cancer surgery of the oesophagus and stomach.
Mr Rohatgi completed his general surgery training and upper gastrointestinal fellowship in the South Thames, London Region. During his training, he worked at the Royal Marsden and St Thomas’ Hospital, which are two of the major oesophagogastric cancer units in the South East of England.
Mr Rohatgi has an avid interest in clinical research with over 25 publications to his name and numerous international and national presentations.
Dr Kai-Keen Shiu qualified as a doctor at Guys and St Thomas’ Medical School. He trained in medical oncology in London including St George’s Hospital, the Royal Free Hospital and UCLH. He completed his PhD in integrative genomic profiling of cancer, working with Professor Alan Ashworth at the Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden Hospital. He also attained a research fellowship at the MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL, maintaining a strong link with them in order to accelerate the development of novel cancer clinical trial designs.
Dr Shiu is a consultant in the Gastrointestinal Oncology Unit at UCLH. He is also the Clinical Lead for the Cancer of Unknown Primary Service, and the Acute Oncology Service at UCLH. He is actively involved in gastrointestinal oncology clinical trial research. He also has a specialist interest in treating patients with Cancer of Unknown Primary, their entry into clinical trials, and management of oligometastatic disease.
Dr Shiu is the Principal Investigator of the UCL/UCLH Gastrointestinal Cancer Translational Research Biobank. He is a Chief Investigator and Principal Investigator for a number of national and international trials. He also undertakes early phase clinical trials in the private sector.
Dr Rami Sweis was appointed as consultant in gastroenterology / upper GI medicine at UCLH in April 2014 and is now the upper GI physiology unit lead. He is an endoscopy specialist with particular expertise in investigation and management of complex benign and malignant upper GI disorders including achalasia, Barrett’s oesophagus and cancer. Endoscopic treatments which he provides include dilatation, stent insertion, Laser, Radiofrequency Ablation, Endoscopic Mucosal Resection and Dissection.
Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS)
Nathalie qualified with an undergraduate diploma in Adult nursing in 1997 at St Bartholomew’s School of nursing and City University and completed a post graduate diploma in nursing in 2012.
Nathalie’s first post was as a staff nurse on the Gastrointestinal Ward at the Middlesex Hospital. She remained there until being offered a senior staff nurse post on the Hepatobiliary Surgical Ward caring for patients with complex conditions including cancer. She undertook a leadership course which enabled her to undertake the role of ward sister in 2001.
In 2005 Nathalie was involved in the move from the Middlesex Hospital. This involved a challenging merge of five wards to a new 62 bed ward at University College Hospital and required new ways of working for the team. Nathalie was appointed as the Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer Clinical Nurse Specialist in 2006.
The service has evolved and changed over the last 10 years and has allowed Nathalie to care for both surgical and medical patients with oesophageal and gastric cancer. She has developed a vast amount of experience and has learned about new and upcoming treatments for this area of cancer.
Nathalie has been involved in developing the service which now serves North and North East London. In 2012 she helped recruit and appoint four Macmillan Cancer Support Workers as part of a pilot by Macmillan Cancer Support. This role is invaluable to the service and has greatly improved patient experience.
Tel: 020 3447 5023
Sally Thorpe first trained as a Nurse at St Bartholomew’s School of Nursing in the city of London. After working at St Bartholomew’s on both the Medical and Surgical units she trained and qualified as a Midwife at Pembury Hospital in Tunbridge Wells .
Sally has worked alongside the Upper GI team at University College Hospital for over twenty years. She initially worked as a research sister and has been involved in the many research trials in upper oesophageal disorders. She has presented quality of life data at International Conferences on patients with dysplastic Barrett’s Oesophagus.
Sally has been the lead Nurse for nurse specialist study days on the endoscopic treatment of upper GI disorders. As a CNS she has a vast amount of experience looking after and supporting patients with a variety of conditions.
Sally has always been involved in the development of the Upper GI Service and instigated the set up and development of the Barrett’s Oesophagus Support Group at UCLH.
She is Nurse Advisor for Action Against Heartburn.
