Academic Lead(s):
Dr James Spicer
The Comprehensive Cancer Centre functions as a coordinated multidisciplinary network across the hospitals within King's Health Partners (KHP). The Centre is accredited by the Organisation of European Cancer Institutes. KHP hosts an Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (CRUK & NIHR-funded; joint Lead Prof J Spicer), and is designated as a Cancer Research UK centre of excellence.
A new Cancer Treatment Centre building opened on the Guy’s campus in 2016. Research and clinical service are closely allied, and the Cancer CAG has been one of the first and most successful across KHP in establishing true integration.
The Cancer Centre hosts an Early Phase Trails Unit that recruits to a portfolio of Phase 1 trials, including immunotherapies discovered and developed at KHP. IATs have the opportunity to rotate into this Unit and take responsibility for one or more of the recruiting trials.
A full range of research projects is available to IATs, with the Training Programme Directors and the Lead for IATs taking responsibility for matching trainees’ interests and aspirations with a suitable investigator and laboratory. Prominent areas of research engaged by IATs to date include novel antibody immunotherapies, autologous CAR-targeted T-cell therapy, the biology of triple-negative breast cancer, and biomarkers for the targeting of radiotherapy.
During the clinical component of their programme IATs rotate on a 6-monthly basis through disease site-specific firms gaining experience in the management of a wide range of malignancies, and benign haematology including thrombosis where relevant. The clinical Network covers a population of 2 million and provides excellent clinical training. All clinics, both at Guy’s & St. Thomas’ and at King’s College Hospital, run on the basis of multidisciplinary teams. Trainees gain experience functioning within such an environment, following patients through their diagnosis, treatment and subsequent management. They are also heavily involved in recruiting patients into clinical trials.
IATs are fully integrated into rotations, and benefit from clinical experiences required for meeting training competencies, including on-call and inpatient care. ACFs receive 3 months release from clinical commitments in every 12 months, and in that period, are fully embedded in their host laboratory without clinical commitments. CLs work a mixed timetable, with job plans providing protected research time for half the week. This is felt to provide optimal clinical/research balance for these more senior trainees, many of whom are pursuing a translational research project.