Surgeons in the spotlight

Professor David Nicol

Consultant urologist and Chief of Surgery

Professor David Nicol, Consultant urologist and Chief of Surgery specialises in kidney and testis cancer as well as surgery for adrenal and retroperitoneal tumours. He pioneered laparoscopic urological surgery performing the first laparoscopic nephrectomy.  

"I actually set out to be a kidney transplant surgeon" says Professor Nicol. "I was drawn to kidney cancer surgery because of the parallels it has with transplants. I was drawn to the transformation it made on people's lives."

"It's a specialty where you see an immediate and direct impact to a person. With an operation, if it's involving cancer, within a few short hours, you can remove and eradicate the cancer from that patient. Obviously, they need to take time to recover and return to normal activities. But with one single definitive act, you've had a profound effect on that patient's life and hopefully life expectancy."

Professor Andy Hayes

Consultant General Surgeon and
Surgical Oncologist in the Sarcoma and Skin unit 

Professor Andy Hayes, Consultant General Surgeon and Surgical Oncologist in the Sarcoma and Skin unit is an expert in soft-tissue sarcoma and advanced melanoma. Professor Hayes appears in both series 1 and 2 of Super Surgeons: A Chance at Life.

"The majority of my work is focused on challenging cases. There’s a fraction of my work, about 20% of cases, which are right on the edge of what is possible. And it is these cases that stretch you as a surgeon."

"The best part of the work I do is the operating, for sure. There’s great value, satisfaction and enjoyment in seeing patients and seeing them get better from the operation you led. The fact that the work we do is really important for the patients is a great responsibility, but also a huge privilege. They are the reason you get up in the morning. Outside of surgery, I conduct research on sarcoma where we are also trying to push the boundaries of what can be achieved which is very exciting."

Professor Vin Paleri

Consultant Head and Neck Surgeon

Professor Vin Paleri, Consultant Head and Neck Surgeon leads a surgical service at The Royal Marsden operating on complex cases of head and neck cancer.

Professor Paleri is an expert in his field and Director of the International Centre for Recurrent Head and Neck Cancer (IReC) which is funded by The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.  He leads a large group of researchers who are looking into pioneering ways to treat and operate on head and neck cancers.

Professor Paleri is particularly knowledgeable in transoral robotic surgery (TORs) which is undertaken using robots such as the da Vinci XI, funded by The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity and featured in the series, to operate on patients.

"There is no greater pleasure than curing patients. For me, no feeling can match knowing you have helped someone with a very complex disease come out of the other side."

"I am always humbled by the tribulations patients and their loved ones experience during their cancer journey outside of the hospital. The impact on family, work, social life and finance can be profound and the series demonstrates this eloquently." 

Mr Shahnawaz Rasheed

Consultant Colorectal Surgeon 

Mr Shahnawaz Rasheed, Consultant Colorectal Surgeon specialises in colorectal cancers, and laparoscopic and robotic surgery. As one of the only surgeons in the UK to perform colorectal surgery using the da Vinci Xi surgical robot, he is a leader in his field. In the latest series, we see Mr Rasheed performing surgery using this robot funded by The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity as he undertakes an extraordinarily complex and life-changing surgery for his patient.

"I do this job to help people. It is a technical exercise, but for me it's literally one person helping another human being." says Mr Rasheed. "That's why I do this job and I'm doing it in this context in an operating theatre. The ability of one human to help another human, I think, is one of the, if not the most beautiful things in the world."

Mr Asif Chaudry

Consultant Oesophagael & Gastric Cancer Surgeon   

Mr Asif Chaudry specialises in oesophageal and gastric cancer surgery. He is particularly experienced in minimally invasive, laparoscopic and robotic surgery.

"The oesophagus is the tube that runs from the neck through the chest right down to the liver and into the stomach" Says Mr Chaudry. "I also deal with cancers of the stomach itself. These gastric cancers can be found anywhere in the junction between the gullet and the stomach, all the way down to the first part of the small bowel. These cancers can be quite difficult to treat simply because they tend to be quite aggressive cancers."

“As a surgeon, there is the potential to identify a problem, understand it, plan something, deal with it, and then see a direct response that leads to an improvement in the patient. With cancer surgery, when the operation goes well, we see the positive impact of our work immediately.”  

Mr Myles Smith

Consultant Surgical Oncologist and General Surgeon   

Mr Myles Smith, Consultant Surgical Oncologist and General Surgeon is an expert in surgery for soft tissue sarcoma, melanoma and skin cancers and the application of minimally invasive surgery to the management of rare cancers.

“Getting a cancer diagnosis at any stage of life is difficult but can be particularly challenging for younger patients. Treatment, which can take many months or even years, followed by rehabilitation and recovery may mean having to put life on hold, which can impact mental health."

"Ensuring patients have access to the right support, from doctors and specialist nurses to dedicated psychological services – which are available at The Royal Marsden and supported by The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity – is hugely important.”