Gastrointestinal Cancers

Upper gastrointestinal cancers have some of the poorest survival rates of all solid cancers. This theme will carry out research into cancers of the upper (oesophagus, stomach, pancreas and biliary system) and lower (colon and rectum) gastrointestinal tract.

Our research will also include preventing and managing the adverse gastrointestinal side effects of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Theme aims

• To improve cure rates, and reduce overtreatment and complications, through precision surgery, radiotherapy, advanced imaging and molecular biomarkers
• To develop minimally invasive high precision diagnostics for early diagnosis
• To utilise biomarkers to select appropriate patients for treatment (including immunotherapies)

Theme lead

Professor David Cunningham (pictured above): expertise in early phase clinical trials of targeted agents and immunotherapies in gastrointestinal cancers