Consultant wins national award
Congratulations to consultant Kevin Monahan who has won an award for his work improving diagnosis of Lynch Syndrome (LS) across the UK.
Lynch syndrome is a hereditary condition that increases the risk of many types of cancer.
Kevin, who works at St Marks Bowel Cancer Hospital, was presented with his award during a special presentation by the British Society of Gastroenterology.
He started the project after national data showed a poor adherence to NICE guidelines for the diagnosis of LS - a condition which affects 1 in 400 people.
Kevin said: “It was one of those situations where everyone thought someone else was doing something to address the problem and no-one was.
“It’s been a labour of love for me and the ongoing success of the initiative will be measured, I guess, by how much of an irrelevance I become!”
The project included establishing and supporting new testing pathways in 248 cancer teams in every hospital in England.
This led to an increase of more than 150% in new diagnoses of Lynch syndrome annually across the country. Patients were then entered into a national registry and ascertained for a new screening programme in England which is the first of its kind in the world.