Dr_Jamie_Murphy

Dr_Jamie_Murphy Specalist cancer surgeon in London with clinical & research interest in advanced colorectal and peritoneal cancers

Humbled and honoured to be elected as the Secretary General (Executive Director) Designate of the International Society ...
22/04/2026

Humbled and honoured to be elected as the Secretary General (Executive Director) Designate of the International Society of Surgery (ISS/SIC) the oldest international surgical society in the world at . ISS has included in its ranks surgical luminaries such as Prof De Quervain and Prof Theodor Kocher, the first surgeon to win the Nobel Prize. I look forward to working with my very close friends over the next two years - the incoming President Prof Alessandro Fichera, Dr Avital Harari, MD, MBA, MSc, FACS the incoming treasurer and mentorship and guidance from Prof Ken Boffard a legend in trauma surgery who I look forward to closely working with !

  starts in 30 mins !
20/04/2026

starts in 30 mins !

πŸ”¬βœ¨ Advances in Bowel Cancer: Targeting KRASA new paper published in npj Precision Oncology reviews the rapid progress in...
28/02/2026

πŸ”¬βœ¨ Advances in Bowel Cancer: Targeting KRAS

A new paper published in npj Precision Oncology reviews the rapid progress in drugs that target KRAS mutations in colorectal (bowel) cancer.

Why is this a big deal? πŸ‘‡

βΈ»

🧬 What is KRAS?

KRAS is a gene that controls how cells grow and divide.

When it’s mutated, it can become permanently switched β€œon” 🚦➑️ leading to uncontrolled cancer growth.

πŸ“Š Around 1 in 3 people with colorectal cancer have a KRAS mutation.
⚠️ These cancers often don’t respond to certain targeted drugs like anti-EGFR therapies.

For years, KRAS was called β€œundruggable.” Not anymore πŸ’₯

βΈ»

πŸ’Š Targeted Treatments Are Here

Two drugs β€” sotorasib and adagrasib β€” target a specific mutation called KRAS G12C πŸ§ͺ

That mutation is relatively uncommon in bowel cancer, but it proved something important:

πŸ‘‰ KRAS can be targeted
πŸ‘‰ Precision medicine is working
πŸ‘‰ More options are coming

βΈ»

πŸš€ What’s Coming Next?

Researchers are now developing:

🟒 Drugs for more common mutations like G12D and G12V
🟒 β€œPan-RAS” inhibitors that target multiple KRAS types
🟒 Combination therapies (KRAS drugs + other treatments)
🟒 KRAS vaccines and immune-based therapies πŸ§«πŸ›‘οΈ

There are hundreds of clinical trials ongoing worldwide 🌍

βΈ»

πŸ’¬ What This Means for Patients

βœ”οΈ KRAS is no longer untouchable
βœ”οΈ More personalised treatments are on the horizon
βœ”οΈ The future of bowel cancer care is increasingly genetic and tailored

This is real progress β€” and it’s moving fast ⚑






TargetedTherapy
CancerTreatment
CancerCare
Oncology
PrivateHealthcareUK
LondonOncology
ColorectalSurgeon
CancerSecondOpinion
PrivateCancerCare
CancerSupport
CancerAwareness

πŸ†•βœ¨ Good news at the end of the year for people with advanced bowel cancer πŸ§¬πŸ’™Thousands more patients in England and Wales...
31/12/2025

πŸ†•βœ¨ Good news at the end of the year for people with advanced bowel cancer πŸ§¬πŸ’™

Thousands more patients in England and Wales πŸ‡¬πŸ‡§ will now be able to access an important cancer treatment on the NHS πŸ₯🀍

NICE βœ… has approved bevacizumab, a targeted cancer drug πŸ’‰πŸŽ―, to be used alongside chemotherapy for advanced (stage 4) bowel cancer. This decision was possible because lower-cost biosimilar versions πŸ’ŠπŸ’· are now available, making it affordable for the NHS πŸ’™πŸ‘

So what does this mean? πŸ‘‡
➑️ Bevacizumab helps slow tumour growth πŸ›‘πŸ§«
➑️ When added to chemotherapy, it can help people live longer before the cancer worsens β³πŸ“ˆ
➑️ It offers another option when immunotherapy or other targeted treatments aren’t suitable πŸ”¬βŒ

Around 7,000 more people πŸ‘₯ are expected to benefit from this change 🌟

This is a great example of how advances in cancer treatment πŸ§ πŸ”¬ β€” and smarter use of NHS resources πŸ’·πŸ€ β€” can translate into real benefits for patients πŸ’™πŸ™Œ

If you or someone you know has bowel cancer, always discuss treatment options with your cancer team πŸ—£οΈπŸ‘©β€βš•οΈπŸ‘¨β€βš•οΈ

πŸŽ—οΈ πŸ’™ πŸ’‰ πŸ₯ πŸ”¬ CancerAwareness πŸ“’ MedicalNews πŸ“° HopeInCancer ✨

πŸ§¬πŸ’‰ Can a simple blood test help guide cancer treatment?New research shows that ctDNA testing after   surgery πŸ₯ for stage...
20/12/2025

πŸ§¬πŸ’‰ Can a simple blood test help guide cancer treatment?

New research shows that ctDNA testing after surgery πŸ₯ for stage 3 (involved lymph nodes) may help identify who benefits from adding celecoxib πŸ’Š (a non steroidal anti inflammatory drug used as pain killer) to chemotherapy β€” with up to a ⬇️ 40% reduction in cancer recurrence and death πŸ“‰ for patients who are ctDNA-positive after surgery.

This is precision medicine in action 🎯 β€” moving away from one-size-fits-all care and toward smarter, personalized treatment 🧠✨.

Not every patient benefits ❌ β€” but the right patient might βœ….

πŸ‘‰ Save πŸ’Ύ if you follow cancer research
πŸ‘‰ Share πŸ” to spread awareness
πŸ’¬ Comment πŸ’­: Should ctDNA testing become standard after surgery?

πŸ†• hope for advanced bowel cancer ✨The recently published STELLAR-303 trial has brought some 🌟 encouraging news 🌟 for peo...
21/10/2025

πŸ†• hope for advanced bowel cancer ✨

The recently published STELLAR-303 trial has brought some 🌟 encouraging news 🌟 for people living with stage 4 (advanced) colorectal cancer.

This large international πŸ“– tested a πŸ†• treatment combo β€” 🧬 Zanzalintinib (tyrosine kinase inhibitor) + Atezolizumab (immunotherapy) β€” against the standard drug πŸ’Š Regorafenib, which is approved for use in πŸ‡¬πŸ‡§ NHS and is usually used when first, second and third line treatments have stopped working. It’s important to highlight that the patients included in this study would not normally be candidates for immunotherapy (pMMR, MSS). A total of 901 patients were recruited and randomly allocated to the πŸ†• or standard treatment options.

πŸ’‘ What did it find?
➑️ People given the πŸ†• combination had a longer average overall survival than people receiving Regorafenib β€” 10.9 months vs 9.4 months.
➑️ Interestingly the benefit from the new treatment was considerably greater for patients without spread to the liver β€” 15Β·9 months vs 12Β·7 months.
➑️ Side-effects were similar to other treatments (😴 tiredness, πŸ’¨ diarrhoea, πŸ’“ high blood pressure) but were manageable with πŸ‘ medical support.

πŸ”¬ Why it matters:
This combination brings immunotherapy and targeted therapy together for the majority of patients (micro satellite stable) β€” showing real hope for patients who’ve already had several rounds of treatment. It’s another step towards giving people more and better options.

πŸ’™ If you’re living with stage 4 bowel cancer, this doesn’t change today’s standard treatment just yet β€” but it’s a sign of hope that this new therapy may be available in the future. Talk to your oncologist to see if similar clinical trials might be open near you.

🌍πŸ’ͺπŸ’™

Great to see importance of young patients with   being discussed at
06/10/2025

Great to see importance of young patients with being discussed at

Great honour to have been elected as Fellow of American College of Surgeons in Chicago today
05/10/2025

Great honour to have been elected as Fellow of American College of Surgeons in Chicago today

The integration of AI into bowel cancer treatment provides a promising future where treatment is increasingly tailored, ...
06/08/2025

The integration of AI into bowel cancer treatment provides a promising future where treatment is increasingly tailored, precise, and effective.

In a recent Cancer Research UK‑led study, an AI‑based CD3 Score test analysed the density of CD3 immune cells in stage II bowel cancer tissues and accurately stratified patients by risk of recurrence over 5 years.

This breakthrough provides a more precise tool for deciding whether adjuvant chemotherapy is needed, helping some patients safely avoid unnecessary treatment and its side effects. It’s a promising step towards personalising care for early-stage colorectal cancer patients.

Read more here and see how it may inform HIPEC‑related decision-making - https://drjamiemurphy.co.uk/news/how-ai-is-helping-with-bowel-cancer-treatment/

πŸ”₯πŸ”₯πŸ”₯The STELLAR‑303 study πŸ”₯πŸ”₯πŸ”₯is a PhaseΒ 3 clinical trial comparing a πŸ†• drug combination β€”zanzalintinib (an experimental t...
28/06/2025

πŸ”₯πŸ”₯πŸ”₯The STELLAR‑303 study πŸ”₯πŸ”₯πŸ”₯is a PhaseΒ 3 clinical trial comparing a πŸ†• drug combination β€”zanzalintinib (an experimental tyrosine kinase inhibitor) plus atezolizumab (an immunotherapy drug) β€” against regorafenib, a currently available standard treatment, for patients with metastatic (mCRC). STELLAR‑303 recruited approximately 900 adults with mismatch repair proficient (pMMR / MSS) mCRC, who had cancer progression after all standard options had been exhausted (5FU, capecitabine, irinotecan, oxaliplatin Β± Avastin, cetuximab or panitumimab if RAS wild-type, and BRAF-targeted therapy if applicable). Exelixis, the company πŸƒ this trial, announced this week that STELLAR‑303 met its primary endpoint, demonstrating a statistically significant improvement in overall survival. The πŸ“ˆ have not yet been released from the trial and will be presented in the coming weeks. However, the hope is this is a step toward being able to offer to the c.85% of mCRC patients who aren’t currently eligible due to having mismatch repair proficient disease. Discussions are being had with the πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ FDA so this is 1️⃣ to ⌚️ 🀞🀞🀞

πŸ”₯ So 1️⃣ of the studies presented at ASCO 2025 many of you will have read about in the press is The Challenge trial πŸ”₯ Th...
03/06/2025

πŸ”₯ So 1️⃣ of the studies presented at ASCO 2025 many of you will have read about in the press is The Challenge trial πŸ”₯ This randomised patients with high risk stage 2 or stage 3 who had completed after surgery to either have a structured exercise prescription (SEP) or to receive health educational materials (HEM). 445 patients were randomised to SEP and 444 patients were randomised to HEM. Most patients in the SEP group could hit their πŸƒβ€β™‚οΈ 🎯 by adding a 45-60 min brisk walk to their routine 3-4 βœ–οΈ per week. Both overall survival and disease πŸ†“ survival were significantly improved in the SEP group, which seems to be predominantly due to a decrease in cancer recurrence in liver. The authors indicate that for every 14 people who participated in SEP 1️⃣ 🧍 was prevented from dying of cancer. Furthermore the risk of developing a second πŸ†• cancer in the breast, prostate or colon was lower in the SEP group. The assessment of the authors or this πŸ“– is that the SEP may actually have a greater impact on survival than post surgery chemo! This is really exciting data and this represents a πŸ†• standard of care for people with . However it does mean we will need lots more physiotherapists to deliver these SEP, but given the impact of this is something that must be done πŸƒβ€β™€οΈπŸ’ͺπŸ‹οΈβ€β™‚οΈ

🚨 πŸ†• πŸ“– update from ASCO 25! 🚨 This πŸ“– looked at a πŸ†• combination of drugs (encorafenib plus cetuximab, with or without chem...
31/05/2025

🚨 πŸ†• πŸ“– update from ASCO 25! 🚨 This πŸ“– looked at a πŸ†• combination of drugs (encorafenib plus cetuximab, with or without chemotherapy) to treat patients with stage 4 and a BRAF V600E mutation. A previous πŸ“– showed that adding these πŸ†• drugs to standard chemotherapy worked better than standard treatment alone, so the πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ FDA gave this πŸ†• combination early approval. Researchers have now released updated results.

Adding encorafenib plus cetuximab to chemotherapy (FOLFOX) helped people live longer without their cancer getting worse compared to standard chemotherapy (average 12.8 months vs. 7.1 months). It also helped people live longer overall (average 30.3 months vs. 15.1 months). Serious side effects happened in about 46% of people taking the πŸ†• drugs plus chemotherapy, compared to 39% with standard chemotherapy. The types of side effects seen were what would be expected for these treatments.

For people with mutated stage 4 , starting treatment with the πŸ†• drug combination and chemotherapy helped them live longer and kept their cancer under control longer than compared to standard treatment!

🌟

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