The Regional Pancreas Centre at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital is the largest Pancreas Treatment and Research Centre in the UK with substantive programme and project funding from the Medical Research Council, Cancer Research UK, Digestive Diseases Foundation, North West Cancer Research Fund, Royal College of Surgeons of England, and the European Union amongst others.

The Centre focuses on all diseases of the pancreas including pancreas cancer, acute pancreatitis and chronic pancreatitis. A large multidisciplinary team has been in place since 1997 and comprises the following:

Five consultant surgeons (including two professors and two senior lecturers of the University of Liverpool).

Three diagnostic radiologists.

Three interventional radiologists.

Three diagnostic and interventional endoscopists.

Two specialist pathologists.

One Pancreas Cancer Macmillan Nurse.

One Specialist Practitioner Nurse.

One medical oncologist.

One NCRN Specialist Research Nurse.

Two phase I/II clinical trial research fellows.

There is also direct access to a large nutrition team, palliative care services and radio-oncology.

There are two dedicated wards, a specialist high dependency unit and a post-operative critical unit.

An MDT Project Manger has recently been appointed to oversee the development of the Service.

The Merseyside and Cheshire Cancer Research Network for HPB facilitates the referral of all pancreas cancers to the Regional Centre, which also acts as the referral centre for all patients from North Wales. Referrals are also routinely received from Lancashire and the UK as a whole.

Liverpool is the centre for the European Registry for Hereditary Pancreatitis and Familial Pancreas Cancer (EUROPAC) and is the only MRC Research Co-Operative with a focus on Pancreas disease. Along with St Bartholomew's it is the designated National Pancreas Cancer Centre funded by the Digestive Diseases Foundation.

As well as contributing to national and international trials such as ESPAC and Gem-Cap the Centre undertakes phase I and II clinical trials such as super-antibody treatment and gene therapy.

For clinical referrals direct to the Centre please use the following:

Tel: Paula Bailey 0151 706 3451 (who is on maternity leave so tel: Elena Sproat 0151 706 3451 )

e-mail elena.sproat@rlbuht.nhs.uk

Information provided by Professor John Neoptolemos, last updated 2 January 2008