Professor Penella Woll BMedSci, MB BS, PhD, FRCP
Department of Oncology
Academic Unit of Clinical Oncology
Weston Park Hospital
Whitham Road, Sheffield
S10 2SJ
Office:
Tel: +44 (0)114 226 5206
Fax: +44 (0)114 226 5364
email: p.j.woll@sheffield.ac.uk
Biography
I graduated from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne and trained in Medical Oncology in London and Manchester. I was a Senior Lecturer in the University of Nottingham before being appointed to a chair in Sheffield.
Research Interests
My main clinical and research interests are in lung cancer and sarcomas. I have extensive experience of clinical trials testing new treatments for these tumour types, and I am a member of national and international collaborative groups, including NCRI and EORTC clinical trials groups.
My laboratory research is centred on lung cancer biology. I am particularly interested in growth regulation and the role of neuropeptide growth factors in lung cancer. Recent work has focused on plasma DNA in the early diagnosis of lung cancer. My research objective is to develop and evaluate novel approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer and sarcomas.
I chair the Sheffield Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre. This is supported by grant funding from Cancer Research UK and the Department of Health of £700k over 5 years.
Teaching Interests
Professional Activities
Chair (2009-) & member (2003-) of National Cancer Research Institute Sarcoma Clinical Studies Group
Clinical Editor of British Journal of Cancer (2007-)
Member of the RCP/ACP Joint Specialty College for Medical Oncology (2007-)
Member of Yorkshire Cancer Research Scientific Advisory Committee (2007-)
Member of Cancer Research UK Feasibility Studies Committee (2006-08)
Member of National Cancer Research Institute Lung Cancer Clinical Studies Group (2004-)
Member of NICE National Collaborative Centre for Acute Care: Lung Cancer Guideline Development Group (2002-05)
Secretary of the Association of Cancer Physicians (1997-2003)
Board Member of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) New Treatment Committee (2000-2)
Member of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Lung Cancer Study Group (1999-) and Soft Tissue and Bone Sarcoma Group (1990-)
Current Projects
Key Publications
Teare MD, Woll PJ. Genomic tests: unreliable for cancer? A focus on circulating DNA and lung cancer. Expert Rev Mol Diagn 2007;7:699-702.
Zhu YM, Azahri NSM, Yu DCW, Woll PJ. Effects of COX-2 inhibition on the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor and interleukin-8 in lung cancer cells. BMC Cancer 2008; 8: 218.
Din O, Woll PJ. Treatment of gastrointestinal stromal tumours: focus on imatinib mesylate. Therapeutics Clin Risk Management 2008; 4: 149-162.
Winter MC, Potter VA, Woll PJ. Raised serum urea predicts for early death in small cell lung cancer. Clinical Oncology 2008; 20: 745-750.
Plummer R, Woll P, Fyfe D, et al. A phase I and pharmacokinetic study of ixabepilone in combination with carboplatin in patients with advanced solid malignancies. Clin Cancer Res 2008; 14: 8288-94.
Hughes AN, O´Brien MER, Petty WJ, Chick JB, Rankin E, Woll PJ, et al. Overcoming CYP1A1/1A2 mediated induction of metabolism by escalating erlotinib dose in current smokers – a two-part dose escalation and pharmacokinetic study in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer. J Clin Oncol 2009; 27:1220-26.
Xue XY, Teare MD, Holen I, Zhu YM, Woll PJ. Optimizing the yield and utility of circulating cell-free DNA from plasma and serum. Clin Chim Acta 2009; 404: 100-104.
Willis F, Woll P, Theti D, Jamali H, Bacon P, Baker N, Pettengell R. Pegfilgrastim for peripheral CD34+ mobilisation in patients with solid tumours Bone Marrow Transpl 2009; 43: 927-34.
Lee SM, Woll PJ, Rudd R, O´Brien M, Ferry D, Middleton G, James L, Jitlal M, Hackshaw A. Anti-angiogenic therapy using thalidomide combined with chemotherapy in small cell lung cancer: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial. J Natl Cancer Inst 2009; 101: 1049-57.
Lee SM, Rudd R, Woll PJ, et al. A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial of Thalidomide in Combination with Gemcitabine and Carboplatin in Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer: A London Lung Cancer Group and NCRI Study. J Clin Oncol 2009 Nov 1; 27(31): 5248-54.