Contact information
Websites
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Department of Colorectal Surgery
Clinical service at Oxford University Hospitals
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Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics
Research centre at Oxford University
DPhil start date
April 2016
Project title
Determination of prognostic factors in early rectal cancer and the implications for rectal preservation surgery
Supervisors
Mr Chris Cunningham, Dr Simon Leedham and Professor Freddie Hamdy
Helen Jones
MBChB Auckland, FRCSEd, MMedSci Keele, MLitt St. And.
DPhil student
I graduated in medicine from the University of Auckland, then worked for several years as a doctor, specialising in colorectal surgery. I took a career break and worked as a statistician in London for a few years before returning to a medical career in Oxford in 2013.
I am currently in my first year of a DPhil looking at prognostic factors in early rectal cancer and the implications for rectal preservation surgery. Rectal cancer affects 11,000 people per year in the UK; early rectal cancer is increasingly common due to screening programmes. Minimally-invasive surgery which preserves the rectum is much better tolerated by patients than conventional radical surgery. However, it risks leaving involved lymph nodes which may later cause recurrence. In order to fully inform patients about the risks and implications of different surgical options and the most appropriate adjuvant treatments, it is important to have as much information as possible, as early as possible after diagnosis, about each specific patient’s tumour, so that treatment can be personalised.
Recent publications
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Quality of life after rectal-preserving treatment of rectal cancer
Journal article
Jones HJS. et al, (2020), European Journal of Surgical Oncology, 46, 2050 - 2056
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Exploiting differential Wnt target gene expression to generate a molecular biomarker for colorectal cancer stratification
Journal article
Kleeman SO. et al, (2020), Gut, 69, 1092 - 1103
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Temporary faecal diversion in ileocolic resection for Crohn’s disease: is there an impact on long‐term surgical recurrence?
Journal article
Bolckmans R. et al, (2020), Colorectal Disease, 22, 430 - 438
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Impact of Suture Type on Erosion Rate After Laparoscopic Ventral Mesh Rectopexy: A Case-Matched Study
Journal article
Tejedor P. et al, (2019), Diseases of the Colon & Rectum, 62, 1512 - 1517
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Adjuvant radiotherapy after local excision of rectal cancer
Journal article
Jones HJS. and Cunningham C., (2019), Acta Oncologica, 58, S60 - S64