Prof Richard Simcock

I have been a Consultant Clinical Oncologist at the Sussex Cancer Centre since 2004. Previously, I have worked at the Sydney Cancer Centre in Australia, and before that I had completed five years of post-graduate specialist training in Oncology in London and the South East including Guy’s and St Thomas’, Charing Cross and Mount Vernon hospitals. I graduated from Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital in 1993. My current NHS practice involves providing clinical care to patients diagnosed with breast cancer at Eastbourne Hospitals, Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, and also clinics at the Park Centre for Breast Care.

Working closely with the surgical and nursing team, I see and treat patients diagnosed with early or advanced breast cancer; I advise on the role of radiation and chemotherapy, hormone, biological and experimental treatments as well as genomic profiling.

My clinical interests include: Breast cancer at all stages, intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) and hypofractionated radiotherapy in breast cancer, survivorship and rehabilitation after cancer treatment, menopausal symptoms of therapy, acupuncture in relief of symptoms.

I prescribe and supervise courses of chemotherapy delivered by the team at the Montefiore, or by home healthcare teams. In addition, I prescribe, plan and supervise radiotherapy treatment at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, or delivered by Genesis Cancer Care in Havant, Guildford or West Malling.

I am involved in enrolling patients in trials of new therapies, as well as trials of improved radiation therapies.

I work as a Consultant Medical Adviser for the charity Macmillan Cancer Support. I provide advice to “Mummy’s Star”, a charity providing support to women diagnosed with cancer during pregnancy and also have been a trustee of the important local cancer charity Cancervive which provides support to family and friends of those with cancer. I have also been a trustee of the Sussex Cancer Fund.

Recent research interests: ways to adapt radiotherapy during the COVID crisis, and the paper that I wrote with colleagues at the early part of the COVID crisis had been cited over 100 times within six months.

Other research interests include: Doctor-Patient communication and the ways in which technology can improve cancer care. Patients are provided with a recording of their consultation, or are encouraged to make their own recordings, when attending.

I am one of the editors of the textbook "The ABC of Cancer Care".

Along with colleagues in Europe, USA and Canada, I also run an online monthly journal club which regularly receives over one million impressions and Tweets regularly @BreastDocUk.

A list of scientific research publications by myself can be found at: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Richard-Simcock-2