Mr Colin Johnson

Consultant Surgeon, Southampton General Hospital

Reader in Surgery,University of Southampton

Colin Johnson gained his qualifications at the University of Cambridge where he studied medical sciences and Anglo-Saxon. He is a Reader in Surgery in the University of Southampton. Since 1988 he has been Honorary Consultant Surgeon in Southampton University Hospitals Trust, providing specialist gastrointestinal surgical services. He now focuses his activity entirely in pancreatic, biliary and general abdominal surgery including hernia surgery.

Mr Johnson has had a longstanding special interest in pancreatic surgery, having trained with pancreatic specialists in Bristol and Marseille. He has provided pancreatic surgery services in Southampton since 1988, and offers a full range of surgical services for pancreatic cancer, chronic pancreatitis and acute pancreatitis.

Mr Johnson has led the development of the pancreatic cancer surgery centre in Southampton. From 2007 Southampton is the surgical centre for the Wessex network.

Current research interests include evaluation of quality of life in patients with pancreatic and other upper GI cancers, palliative treatment for pain using standard medications, percutaneous injection or keyhole surgery, and the identification and early treatment of patients with severe acute pancreatitis

Mr Johnson has served on several International Committees, including Co-Chairman of the Scientific Committee of the Institut de Recherche sur les Cancers de L’Appareil Digestif (IRCAD) Strasbourg, France; International Association of Pancreatology; European Digestive Surgery; European Quality of Life in Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma (EQoLiPA) Study Group (Convenor and Chairman); the European Pancreatic Club and Scientific Committees of the International HPB Association

In the UK, Mr Johnson has been a member or officer of the committees of the following organisations: Pancreatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland (Secretary and President ); Pancreatic Section of the British Society for Gastroenterology (Secretary and Chair); Surgical Research Society; British Society of Gastroenterology; Society of Authors Medical Writers Group (Chair).

Mr Johnson enjoys amateur dramatics and playing cricket.

You can find more information on the SCUAS web-site

Question and Answer Session

Why did you become a surgeon?
I like the active involvement in treatment, and the knowledge that by physically doing something to a patient I can help their symptoms or cure their problem

Why did you specialize in pancreatic disease?
because I enjoy a challenge! The surgery is demanding, and always offers something new - no two operations are the same. There were (and still are) so many unanswered research questions, it is an area that repays time and effort spent working on the problems.

What has given you the most satisfaction in your career?
seeing the generation of surgeons I have trained grow into independent and excellent consultant surgeons, particularly those who now work alongside me as colleagues.

What has caused most frustration?
the nihilistic approach of many non-specialists to threatment of pancreatic cancer. That is changing now, but it has been a long struggle to get acceptance of the idea that it is worth operating, and giving chemotherapy, because this helps many patients with the disease.

Where do you see the advances coming in research to help pancreatic cancer treatment?
if we could predict the future we would do it now. it is likely that combinations of different types of treatment will have the most impact, for example, chemotherapy and biological therapies working together

Where do you see the advances coming in the treatment of the disease in general?
better availability of oncology services and centralization of surgical services should mean that all patients will get access to the very best and most up to date treatments

What changes would you make to current management of pancreatic cancer that would have most impact on outcomes for patients?
see the last question!

What would provide the greatest help in the fight against pancreatic cancer?
research funds to help understand the basic processes, and research on the application of that knowledge

Why do you support the aims of Pancreatic Cancer UK?
patients and their families need the support of a group such as PCUK. The organization is raising funds for research, and allowing those who have been affected by pancreatic cancer to make a very positive contribution