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School of Medicine

Professor Catharine West PhD

Photograph of Catharine West

Professor of Radiation Biology

Translational Radiobiology
School of Cancer and Enabling Sciences
Christie Hospital NHS Trust
Wilmslow Road
Manchester
M20 4BX

 

Memberships of Committees and Professional Bodies

Association for Radiation Research
Radiation Research Society (USA)
British Institute of Radiology
British Association for Cancer Research
Royal College of Radiology (Honorary)

NCRI CTRRWG
NCRI Head & Neck Clinical Studies Group
NCRI Translational Clinical Studies Group
LH Gray Cancer Memorial Trust
Cancer Research UK Translational Research in Clinical Trials Committee
Association for Radiation Research Committee
British Institute of Radiology Cancer Biology Committee

Research

The challenge for radiotherapy-related research is to find ways of giving as much radiation as possible to kill cancer cells while minimising the doses received by surrounding healthy tissue. The expansion of our knowledge through the Human Genome Project has been accompanied by the development of new high-throughput techniques, which provide extensive capabilities for the analysis of a large number of genes or the whole genome. There is a belief that this genomic revolution, i.e. sequencing of the human genome and developments in high throughput technology, heralds a future of personalised medicine. For radiotherapy, this progress should increase the possibility of predicting individual patient response to radiotherapy. The Translational Radiobiology Group, therefore, is interested in the characterisation of molecular profiles that reflect relevant biological phenotypes and predict tumour and normal tissue response to radiation.

 

Teaching

Lecturer for MSc in Oncology and in Physics and Computing in Medicine & Biology
Lecturer for FRCR course
Supervisor for medical student projects
 
 

Biography

Catharine West studied biology as an undergraduate at York University and radiobiology as a postgraduate at the Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton.  After postdoctoral work at the University of Rochester Cancer Centre in upstate New York, she moved to the Paterson Institute in 1986. In 2002, she joined the University of Manchester School of Cancer and Enabling Sciences and established the Translational Radiobiology Group. 

She is currently Postgraduate Director for the School of Cancer & Imaging Sciences and is a member of a number of national committees (NCRI Radiotherapy Clinical Studies Group, NCRI Translational Clinical Study Group), Association for Radiation Research, British Institute of Radiology Cancer Biology Committee, and NCRI Head & Neck Clinical Studies Group. She has just completed a period on the grant awarding Cancer Research UK Translational Research in Clinical Trials Committee, is an associate editor for the journal Radiation Research and on the international advisory board of Physics in Medicine & Biology.

She has published over 150 papers, in 2004 was made an honorary member of the Royal College of Radiology and in 2007 became an honorary fellow of the British Institute of Radiology. In 2007 she became Postgraduate Director for the School of Cancer and Enabling Sciences.

 

Publications

2010

  • Barnett GC, Coles CE, Burnet NG, Pharoah PD, Wilkinson J, West CM, Elliott RM, Baynes C, Dunning AM. (2010). No association between SNPs regulating TGF-beta1 secretion and late radiotherapy toxicity to the breast: Results from the RAPPER study. Radioth Oncol, eScholarID:76416
  • Buffa FM, Harris AL, West CM, Miller CJ. (2010). Large meta-analysis of multiple cancers reveals a common, compact and highly prognostic hypoxia metagene. Br J Cancer, 102, 428-435. eScholarID:76415 | DOI:10.1038/sj.bjc.6605450
  • Donaldson SB, Buckley DL, O'Connor JP, Davidson SE, Carrington BM, Jones AP, West CM. (2010). Enhancing fraction measured using dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI predicts disease-free survival in patients with carcinoma of the cervix. Br J Cancer, 102, 23-26. eScholarID:75934 | DOI:10.1038/sj.bjc.6605415
  • West C, Rosenstein BS. (2010). Establishment of a radiogenomics consortium. Radioth Oncol, eScholarID:75939

2009

  • Barnett G, West CML, Dunning A, Elliott R, Coles C, Pharoah P, Burnet N. (2009). Normal tissue reactions to radiotherapy: towards tailoring treatment dose by genotype. Nat Rev Cancer, 9, 134-142. eScholarID:1d19652 | DOI:10.1038/nrc2587
  • Hedman M, Bjork-Eriksson T, Mercke C, West CML, Hesselius P, Brodin O. (2009). Comparison of predicted and clinical response to radiotherapy: a radiobiology modelling study. Acta Oncol, 48, eScholarID:1d20085 | DOI:10.1080/02841860802637757
  • Kötz B, West CML, Saleem A, Jones T, Price PM. (2009). Blood flow and Vd (water): both biomarkers required for interpreting the effects of vascular targeting agents on tumor and normal tissue. Mol Cancer Ther, 8( 2), eScholarID:1d20084 | DOI:10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-08-1016
  • O'Connor, JP B, Naish, J, Parker, GJM, Waterton, JC, Watson, Y, Jayson, G-, Buonaccorsi, G, Cheung, S, Buckley, D, McGrath, D, West, CML, Davidson, S, Roberts, C, Mills, S, Mitchell, CL, Hope, L, Ton, N, Jackson, A-. (2009). Preliminary Study of Oxygen-Enhanced Longitudinal Relaxation in MRI: A Potential Novel Biomarker of Oxygenation Changes in Solid Tumors. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys, 75(4), 1209-1215. eScholarID:1d19647 | DOI:10.1016/j.ijrobp.2008.12.040
  • Sillah K, Griffiths E, Pritchard S, Swindell R, West CML, Page R, Welch I. (2009). Clinical impact of tumour involvement of the anastomotic doughnut in oesophagogastric cancer surgery. Ann R Coll Surg Engl, 91( 3), eScholarID:1d19651 | DOI:10.1308/003588409X359268
  • Sillah K, Pritchard SA, Watkins GR, McShane J, West CML, Page R, Welch IM. (2009). The degree of circumferential tumour involvement as a prognostic factor in oesophageal cancer. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg, eScholarID:1d19649 | DOI:10.1016/j.ejcts.2008.12.052
  • West CML, Davidson S. (2009). Measurement tools for gastrointestinal symptoms in radiation oncology. Curr Opin Support Palliat Care, 3( 1), eScholarID:1d19650 | DOI:10.1097/SPC.0b013e328325d18d
  • West CML, Martin C, Sutton D, Wright E. (2009). 21st L H Gray Conference: the radiobiology/radiation protection interface. Br J Radiol, 82( 977), eScholarID:1d19646 | DOI:10.1259/bjr/8891994
  • Moller-Levet CS, Betts GN, Harris AL, Homer JJ, West CM, Miller CJ. (2009). Exon array analysis of head and neck cancers identifies a hypoxia related splice variant of LAMA3 Associated with a poor prognosis. PLoS Comput Biol, 55, e1000571. eScholarID:75932

2008

  • Charnley, N, Airley, R, Du Plessis, D, West, CML, Brock, C, Barnett, C, Matthews, J, Symonds, K, Bottomly, M, Swindell, R, Price, PM. (2008). No relationship between 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography and expression of Glut-1 and -3 and hexokinase I and II in high-grade glioma. Oncol Rep, 20( 3), eScholarID:1d20923 | DOI:10.3892/or_00000039
  • Griffiths E, Pritchard S, McGrath S, Valentine HR, Price PM, Welch I, West CML. (2008). Hypoxia-associated markers in gastric carcinogenesis and HIF-2alpha in gastric and gastro-oesophageal cancer prognosis. Br J Cancer, 98( 5), eScholarID:1d32515 | DOI:10.1038/sj.bjc.6604210
  • Silva P, Slevin NJ, Sloan P, Valentine HR, Cresswell J, Ryder D, Price PM, Homer JJ, West CML. (2008). Prognostic significance of tumor hypoxia inducible factor-1alpha expression for outcome after radiotherapy in oropharyngeal cancer. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys, 72( 5), eScholarID:1d19653 | DOI:10.1016/j.ijrobp.2008.07.051

2007

  • West CML. (2007). Radiotherapy predictive assays. In Radiobiological Modelling in Radiation Oncology Eds R Dale & B Jones. eScholarID:3d1087
  • Green M, Hiley C, Shanks J, Bottomley I, West CML, Cowan R, Stratford IJ. (2007). Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in locally invasive prostate cancer is prognostic for radiotherapy outcome. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys, 67, eScholarID:1d15230
  • Griffiths E, Pritchard S, McGrath S, Valentine HR, Price PM, Welch I, West CML. (2007). Increasing expression of hypoxia-inducible proteins in the Barrett's metaplasia-dysplasia-adenocarcinoma sequence. Br J Cancer, 96( 9), eScholarID:1d31308
  • Möller-Levet C, West CML, Miller C. (2007). Exploiting sample variability to enhance multivariate analysis of microarray data. Bioinformatics, 23( 20), eScholarID:1d19656 | DOI:10.1093/bioinformatics/btm441
  • Silva P, Homer J, Slevin NJ, Musgrove B, Sloan P, Price PM, West CML. (2007). Clinical and biological factors affecting response to radiotherapy in patients with head and neck cancer: a review. Clin Otolaryngol, 32( 5), eScholarID:1d19655 | DOI:10.1111/j.1749-4486.2007.01544.x
  • Silva, P, West, CML, Slevin, N, Valentine, H, Ryder, W, Hampson, L, Bibi, R, Sloan, P, Thakker, N, Homer, J, Hampson, I. (2007). Tumor expression of major vault protein is an adverse prognostic factor for radiotherapy outcome in oropharyngeal carcinoma. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys, 69, eScholarID:1d19657 | DOI:10.1016/j.ijrobp.2007.02.025
  • Silva, P, West, CML, Slevin, NJ, Valentine, HR, Ryder, WDJ, Hampson, L, Bibi, R, Sloan, P, Thakker, NS, Homer, J, Hampson, IN. (2007). Tumor expression of major vault protein (MVP) is an adverse prognostic factor for radiotherapy outcome in oropharyngeal carcinoma. Int J Rad Oncol Biol Phys, 69, eScholarID:1d15644
  • West CML, Elliott R, Burnet N. (2007). The genomics revolution and radiotherapy. Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol), 19, eScholarID:1d19658 | DOI:10.1016/j.clon.2007.02.016
  • Winter, S, Buffa, F, Silva, P, Miller, C, Valentine, HR, Turley, H, Shah, K, Cox, G, Corbridge, R, Homer, J, Musgrove, B, Slevin, NJ, Sloan, P, Price, PM, West, CML, Harris, A. (2007). Relation of a hypoxia metagene derived from head and neck cancer to prognosis of multiple cancers. Cancer Res, 67, eScholarID:1d15546 | DOI:10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-06-3322

2006

  • Burnet N, Elliott R, Dunning A, West CML. (2006). Radiosensitivity, radiogenomics and RAPPER. Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol), 18( 7), 525-8. eScholarID:1d30599
  • Charnley, NG, West, CML, Barnett, C, Brock, C, Bydder, G, Glaser, M, Newlands, E, Swindell, R, Matthews, JC, Price, PM. (2006). Early change in glucose metabolic rate measured using FDG-PET in patients with high-grade glioma predicts response to temozolomide but not temozolomide plus radiotherapy. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys, 66, eScholarID:1d14181 | DOI:10.1016/j.ijrobp.2006.04.043
  • Isa A, Ward T, West CML, Slevin N, Homer J. (2006). Hypoxia in head and neck cancer. Br J Radiol, 79( 946), 791-8. eScholarID:1d30552
  • Kabuubi P, Loncaster J, Davidson S, Hunter R, Kobylecki C, Stratford I, West CML. (2006). No relationship between thymidine phosphorylase (TP, PD-ECGF) expression and hypoxia in carcinoma of the cervix. Br J Cancer, 94( 1), 115-20. eScholarID:1d29988
  • Laking G, West CML, Buckley DL, Matthews JC, Price PM. (2006). Imaging vascular physiology to monitor cancer treatment. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol, 58, 95-113. eScholarID:1d12659
  • Nordsmark, M, Loncaster, J, Aquino-Parsons, C, Chou, S, Gebski, V, West, CML, Lindegaard, J, Havsteen, H, Davidson, S, Hunter, R, Raleigh, J, Overgaard, J. (2006). The prognostic value of pimonidazole and tumour pO2 in human cervix carcinomas after radiation therapy: a prospective international multi-center study. Radiother Oncol, 80, eScholarID:1d30533
  • West CML, McKeown S. (2006). Translational research in radiotherapy trials. Br J Radiol, 79( 945), 716-8. eScholarID:1d30534

2005

  • Faivre-Finn CC, Lee L, Lorigan P, West CML, Thatcher N. (2005). Thoracic radiotherapy for limited-stage small-cell lung cancer: controversies and future developments. Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol), 17( 8), 591-598. eScholarID:1d30392
  • Faivre-Finn CC, Lorigan P, West CML, Thatcher N. (2005). Thoracic radiation therapy for limited-stage small-cell lung cancer: unanswered questions. Clin Lung Cancer, 7( 1), 23-9. eScholarID:1d28857
  • Griffiths E, Pritchard S, Welch I, Price PM, West CML. (2005). Is the hypoxia-inducible factor pathway important in gastric cancer? Eur J Cancer, 41( 18), 2792-805. eScholarID:1d30156
  • West CML, Charnley NG. (2005). The potential of PET to increase understanding of the biological basis of tumour and normal tissue response to radiotherapy. British Journal of Radiology, eScholarID:1d33190
  • West, CML, McKay MJ, Holscher T, Baumann M, Stratford, IJ, Bristow RG, Iwakawa M, Imai T, Zingde SM, Anscher MS, Bourhis J, Begg AC, Haustermans K, Bentzen SM, Hendry JH. (2005). Molecular markers predicting radiotherapy response: Report and recommendations from an International Atomic Energy Agency technical meeting. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys, 62, eScholarID:1d11510
  • West, CML, McKay, M, Hölscher, T, Baumann, M, Stratford, I, Bristow, R, Iwakawa, M, Imai, T, Zingde, S, Anscher, M, Bourhis, J, Begg, A, Haustermans, K, Bentzen, S, Hendry, J. (2005). Molecular markers predicting radiotherapy response: report and recommendations from an International Atomic Energy Agency technical meeting. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys, 62( 5), 1264-73. eScholarID:1d30152

2004

  • Hutchison GJ, Valentine HR, Loncaster JA, Davidson SE, Hunter RD, Roberts, SA, Harris AL, Stratford, IJ, Price, PM, West, CML. (2004). Hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha expression as an intrinsic marker of hypoxia: correlation with tumor oxygen, pimonidazole measurements, and outcome in locally advanced carcinoma of the cervix. Clin Cancer Res, 10, eScholarID:1d10828
  • Hutchison, G, Valentine, H, Loncaster, J, Davidson, S, Hunter, R, Roberts, SA, Harris, A, Stratford, I, Price, P, West, CML. (2004). Hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha expression as an intrinsic marker of hypoxia: correlation with tumor oxygen, pimonidazole measurements, and outcome in locally advanced carcinoma of the cervix. Clin Cancer Res, 10( 24), 8405-12. eScholarID:1d12600
  • Wells P, West CML, Jones T, Harris A, Price PM. (2004). Measuring tumor pharmacodynamic response using PET proliferation probes: the case for 2-[(11)C]-thymidine. Biochim Biophys Acta, 1705( 2), 91-102. eScholarID:1d29404
  • West CML, Jones T, Price PM. (2004). The potential of positron-emission tomography to study anticancer-drug resistance. Nat Rev Cancer, 4( 6), 457-69. eScholarID:1d29141

2003

  • Cooper R, Sarioglu S, Skmen S, FuKun A, Valentine H, Gorken I, Airley R, West CML. (2003). Glucose transporter-1 (GLUT-1): a potential marker of prognosis in rectal carcinoma? Br J Cancer, 89, 870-876. eScholarID:1d31218

2002

  • Loncaster, J, Carrington, B, Sykes, J, Jones, A, Todd, S, Cooper, R, Buckley, DL, Davidson, SE, Logue, J, Hunter, R, West, CML. (2002). Prediction of radiotherapy outcome using dynamic contrast enhanced MRI of carcinoma of the cervix. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys, 54( 3), 759-67. eScholarID:1d29026

2001

  • Stratford IJ, Williams KJ, Cowen RL, Jaffar M, Airley R, West CML. (2001). Identifying those patients most at risk from treatment failure. What can be done to help?. eScholarID:2d1313
  • Airley R, Loncaster J, Davidson SE, Bromley M, Roberts S, Patterson AA.V, Hunter RD, Stratford IJ, West CML. (2001). Glucose transporter glut-1 expression correlates with tumor hypoxia and predicts metastasis-free survival in advanced carcinoma of the cervix. Clinical Cancer Research, 7, 928-934. eScholarID:1d3209
  • Loncaster, J, Harris, A, Davidson, SE, Logue, J, Hunter, R, Wycoff, C, Pastorek, J, Ratcliffe, P, Stratford, I, West, CML. (2001). Carbonic anhydrase (CA IX) expression, a potential new intrinsic marker of hypoxia: correlations with tumor oxygen measurements and prognosis in locally advanced carcinoma of the cervix. Cancer Res, 61( 17), 6394-9. eScholarID:1d9375
  • West CML, Cooper RA, Loncaster JA, Wilks DP, Bromley M. (2001). Tumor vascularity: a histological measure of angiogenesis and hypoxia. Cancer Research, 61, 2907-2910. eScholarID:1d3216
  • West CML, Davidson SE, Elyan SA, Valentine H, Roberts SA, Swindell R, Hunter RD. (2001). Lymphocyte radiosensitivity is a significant prognostic factor for morbidity in carcinoma of the cervix. International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics, 51, 10-15. eScholarID:1d3218

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