Professor Maxine Tran Awarded NIHR Research Professorship

Professor Maxine Tran, Professor of Urology at UCL Surgery & Interventional Science and Trustee of Kidney Cancer UK, has been awarded a NIHR Research Professorship — a highly competitive honour providing up to £2 million to support professorial-level research that tackles key health priorities and delivers real benefits for patients and communities across the UK.

Professor Tran received the award in recognition of her pioneering work to transform the management of kidney tumours, with a particular focus on reducing unnecessary surgery for benign tumours and improving treatment outcomes for those with confirmed cancer.

Kidney cancer is the 6th most common cancer in the UK, with almost 14,000 people receiving a diagnosis and around 4,500 losing their lives to the disease each year. Many tumours are detected incidentally during scans for other conditions, and up to 30% are benign, meaning they pose no harm. However, many patients proceed directly to surgery, which usually means removing part of or the entire kidne,y resulting in a reduction in their kidney function, and only discover afterwards that their tumour was non-cancerous. Professor Tran’s research will focus on three objectives: first, to improve the diagnostic pathway to identify kidney cancers that require treatment and reduce unnecessary surgery for benign tumours. Second, to conduct clinical trials to compare less invasive treatments to surgery and provide more treatment choices for better patient outcomes. Third, to develop tools to encourage patients to be more involved in treatment decision-making.

Reflecting on the award, Professor Tran said: “I am delighted to be awarded a NIHR Research Professorship. This is an important endorsement that shines a spotlight on kidney cancer research. I am incredibly excited and look forward to working with Kidney Cancer UK to improve outcomes for patients diagnosed with kidney tumours.”

Malcolm Packer, CEO of Kidney Cancer UK, added: “This is not only a fantastic award for Professor Tran, recognising her outstanding research, but also a source of hope for future kidney cancer patients who will benefit from this work. As an active member of our Board of Trustees, we couldn’t be prouder to be associated with Professor Tran and look forward to even closer collaboration.”