LCNUK Webinar: The role of pathology in lung cancer management

I am a consultant cellular pathologist specialising in thoracic and molecular pathology, based at Black Country Pathology Services (covering Birmingham, Wolverhampton and the towns in between), and lecturing at the University of Birmingham. My main interest is in immunohistochemical biomarkers predicting response to immunotherapy (e.g. PD-L1), particularly in lung cancer. I have been involved in the rolling out of PD-L1 testing in the UK, and have trained several hundred pathologists from the UK and overseas in the interpretation of PD-L1 across a number of indications.

Since qualifying in 1994, Sandra has worked within oncology, initially at the Middlesex Hospital, London where her interest in oncology nursing first started. She moved to the Kent Oncology Centre in 1997 and has been working as a Macmillan Lung Cancer Nurse Specialist since 2000.

Her role has developed immensely since then with the new developments in treatments and nurse-led initiatives. She has developed a nurse-led TKI clinic which has now expanded to reviewing patients on chemotherapy and immunotherapy. In 2011 she set up a Diagnosis and Treatment information nurse led clinic following MDT, this was as a result of the pathway changing and patients being seen pre-diagnosis.

She has completed the Independent non-medical prescribing course which has enhanced her nurse-led practice.

Her special interest in lung cancer is ensuring patients have a streamlined pathway through effective communication within the multidisciplinary team. More recently she has become involved with developing an immunotherapy assessment tool to ensure safe and standardised assessment for patients receiving immunotherapy.