Dr Olga Oikonomidou

In my private practice, I see women who require treatment with systemic (drug) therapies for the early or advanced stages for breast cancer. I use evidence-based medicine to develop a treatment plan for each patient, while supporting patients to reduce side effects and improve their quality of life. Expert care means treating the cancer while compassionately caring for the person fighting it.

I hold a position as an Academic Consultant Medical Oncologist with special interest in breast cancer at the Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre, University of Edinburgh and Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh. I obtained my first degree BSc (Hon) in Human Genetics from the University of Leeds. This was followed by an MSc in Oncology and Cellular Pathology from the same University. I received my Medical Degree from the Medical School of Athens, Greece. After successfully completing an MRes in Immunology (Distinction) and a PhD (Distinction) in Biochemistry and Pathophysiology in Medical School of Athens, Greece, I started my training as a Medical Oncologist at the Naval Hospital of Athens.

Three years later I moved to London to work as a specialist registrar in King’s College Hospital and Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital of London where I stayed for three years. On completion of my training I have taken up my post as an Academic Consultant Medical Oncologist with special interest in breast cancer in Edinburgh. My responsibilities are split equally between running a busy breast oncology clinic in the Western General Hospital and leading on breast cancer translational studies. I work closely with the surgeons, pathologists, radiologists and clinical oncologists with the aim to provide the best possible outcome for breast cancer patients.

I am actively involved in numerous clinical trials and I am the local Principal Investigator in several clinical trials and the Chief Investigator in a number of translational studies. Regular teaching and research supervising commitments both at the undergraduate and postgraduate level are also included in my academic role. My academic work focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms determining breast cancer response to treatment with the aim of bringing these findings into the clinical practice and on developing cfDNA techniques (liquid biopsy) for prognostic/diagnostic purposes.