Dr Jason Chow, Consultant Medical Oncologist at Cromwell Hospital, answers questions about his role and the medical oncology field.
What does your role as a consultant medical oncologist involve?
As a medical oncologist, I treat patients with cancer focusing on systemic therapy treatments to downstage tumours prior to additional treatments like surgery, or to prevent cancer recurrence. I treat patients who have an advanced cancer diagnosis to improve their prognosis and quality of life. Importantly, I work with a team of cancer specialists who all provide various areas of expertise to give my patients a truly multi-disciplinary and holistic approach to cancer care. Giving my patients the best outcomes and having a positive impact on their quality of life.
What attracted you to specialising in medical oncology?
Medical oncology is both a very challenging but rewarding specialty, where I strive to give my patients a treatment plan specially tailored to their needs. The most rewarding part of my specialty is supporting my patients, with my team, through their cancer journey. Every patient’s cancer journey is unique which is why it is so important to personalise and tailor their cancer treatment. Specialising in medical oncology helps me to achieve that goal.
Please introduce The International Cancer Care Network and how this organisation supports patients.
The International Cancer Care Network was founded by myself and Dr Doraid Alrifai. Through this network we have brought together many leading cancer specialists from oncology, surgery, and radiology to name a few. Our patients have the best multidisciplinary team to support them and a team of consultants, offering rapid diagnosis, optimised cancer care. We offer cancer care to patients with lung cancer, urological cancer, hepatobiliary and pancreatic cancer, and GI cancers.
What does a ‘typical’ day in your life look like?
A typical day for me involves a mixture of outpatient and inpatient clinic work. I see new patients, discuss treatment options with diagnosed patients and review patients who are receiving systemic therapy. I hold several senior NHS management roles, including co-lead for the Upper GI multi-disciplinary team at my NHS hospital base and often set aside time to teach junior doctors and medical students.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I enjoy getting to know my patients and helping them to find the right treatment plan that fits them. I focus my energy on helping them during what is often one of the most challenging periods in their lives.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I am the co-founder and director of JW Premier Health Ltd, a private health care company that focuses on medical concierge and health screening for international clients from Asia. We have worked hard to develop the company and continue to provide a very bespoke and personalised private medical concierge and health screening service to our overseas clients over the last few years. This remains a core passion of mine, which is providing personalised and supportive medical advice and care. This is particularly poignant to our overseas clients who are often visiting the UK and unfamiliar with the healthcare system.
Dr Jason Chow's main clinical interests are in treating patients with lung cancer, oesophageal and gastric cancers and hepatobiliary and pancreatic cancers.