UCL DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL PHYSICS AND BIOENGINEERING

• Speaker: Dr Laurence Lovat (Head of the Research, Department of Tissue and Energy,Division of Surgery and Interventional Science)

• Title: "Optical techniques for the treatment of Oesophageal cancer"

• Date: 29 April, 2013 (Monday)

• Time: 1-2 pm

• Venue: Malet Place 1.06 Lecture Theater (1/F, Malet Place Engineering Building) venue

ABSTRACT:

Oesophageal cancer is the fourth commonest cause of cancer death in men in the UK. Most cases arise within an abnormality called Barrett’s oesophagus. Our group has one of the largest cohorts of patients in the world with this disease. Our aim is to simply prevent our patients getting cancer. At the same time, we do not want to submit them to unnecessary tests, as no more than 10% of patients with Barrett’s oesophagus will ever progress to cancer.

In this talk, Dr Lovat will explain some of the optical diagnostic tools he has helped to develop, their benefits and drawbacks in dealing with real clinical problems. Some of these tools have held out great promise but have not yielded clinical benefits. Others have simply not made it out of the research laboratories. We will follow the story of a real patient and show how changes in our medical knowledge have helped us look after this person more successfully as time goes on.

The talk will review the current ‘state of the art’ of optical diagnostic techniques including different types of spectroscopy as well as novel imaging modalities. New approaches are being explored and new ideas are always welcome so in the discussion, the audience will be invited to suggest novel ways to help solve this important clinical problem. In addition, what we learn here can be used as a paradigm for cancers in many other organs.

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY:

Dr Lovat’s research focuses on optical techniques for diagnosis and treatment of pre-cancerous changes in Barrett’s oesophagus. He developed photodynamic therapy and more recently has pioneered the use of radiofrequency ablation for treatment of Barrett’s oesophagus. He is working to develop novel screening tests to detect pre-cancerous changes. Techniques used include enhance white light endoscopy, elastic scattering spectroscopy, mid infra red spectroscopy, confocal endomicroscopy and next generation optical coherence tomography.

Dr Lovat is a specialist advisor to NICE. He has been a member of the British Society of Gastroenterology Oesophageal and Research Committees. He is also a member of the National Cancer Research Network Upper GI Cancer Prevention Committee. He has lectured in over 10 countries.

About the Medical Physics Lunchtime Seminar:

The Medical Physics Lunchtime Seminar is normally held on the last Monday of every month (except Bank holidays) between 1 and 2 pm. The seminar series is open to all and features principal investigators in and collaborators with the Department of Medical Physics and Bioengineering at UCL and UCLH. Staff and students within the department are strongly encouraged to attend to find out more about the various exciting activities going on in the department. The seminar series aims to cultivate a stronger identity within the department, share current research fields with the wider UCL community, and to inspire the next generation of scientists and students. Enquiries: Terence Leung (t.leung@ucl.ac.uk ) or Ilias Tachtsidis (i.tachtsidis@ucl.ac.uk)