Dr Clare Topham - retired Consultant in Clinical Oncology
Dr Clare Topham - retired Consultant in Clinical Oncology
Dr Clare Topham, Consultant in Clinical Oncology from 1977 to 2007.
“One of the highlights of my career was setting up the first clinical research unit for gastro intestinal cancer at the Royal Surrey, which opened in 1997 and was made possible by the marvellous funding efforts of my patients. The unit went from strength to strength. We ran many international controlled randomised studies, and had a reputation for producing high quality data. Patients loved being part of the trials as they had access to dedicated nurses in the unit.
“I had the privilege of presenting the results of an important adjuvant study in colorectal cancer at international conferences, which showed the increased survival of patients treated with oxaliplatin chemotherapy following surgery. This set a new standard of care and enhanced the profile of the oncology centre at St Luke’s internationally.
"The teamwork involved in my Thursday morning teaching ward rounds was a joy. Coffee, mid round, would include a presentation by a junior staff member, followed by lively discussion amongst everyone; doctors, nurses, dieticians, physios and radiographers.
“A memorable event was meeting the Queen and Prince Philip at the opening ceremony of the new St Luke’s centre and my conversation with the Duke who asked me to compare the two centres. I recall describing going down the long freezing perspex covered corridor from the old department to the wards, where you had to be careful to miss the slugs and snails. He asked me “did the snails crunch when you were in a hurry?”
“The new centre was clean, bright, and interior designed but best of all was the terrific esprit de corps, shared by everyone doing their very best for our patients.”