The CREST (Cancer Research Excellence in Surgical Trials) Award is one part of an initiative to increase the engagement of surgeons in the NCRI and NIHR CRN: Cancer, to increase the number of surgical trials and to increase the percentage of patients with newly diagnosed tumours who are approached about entering clinical trials.The initiative also seeks to influence cancer research funders and surgical trainees. The award is supported by Swann Morton and has been created to recognise surgical teams who have made the greatest contribution in recruiting to the NIHR cancer trials portfolio and it is hoped that it will also generate some positive publicity within the surgical community for clinical trials. Following its launch in September 2014, Surgical Associations, Clinical Studies Groups, Regional Cancer Leads and Research Delivery Managers were asked for nominations and 20 teams were put forward for this years award. The winners, nominated by Kristina Duggleby, Division 1 Research Delivery Manager for North West London, were the Urological Surgical Team at Imperial College NHS Foundation Trust. The team, comprising Urologists, Clinical Nurse Specialists, research staff, general clinic nurses, health care assistants and reception staff at Charing Cross, St Marys and Hammersmith Hospital sites, were described as “outstanding winners” based on their leadership, impressive recruitment metrics, the depth and breadth of their portfolio and their clearly evident multidisciplinary team approach.They increased recruitment from 50 patients in 2010-11 to 545 in 2013-14 and had 140 patients for the year leading up to September 2014. The trials portfolio has expanded from only 6 studies in 2010-11, to 14 in 2013-14 and the team had 11 studies in the year leading up to September 2014. They went from 0 NIHR commercial studies in 2012-13 to recruiting 269 patients in 2013-14 and currently have 37 patients in the year leading up to September 2014. Richard Shaw, CRN: Cancer National Specialty lead for surgical oncology said: “The urological surgery team at Imperial are the model of how we hope surgical teams will be embedded in cancer research.” The award was made during the NCRI conference in November and was also presented to the British Association of Urological Surgeons academic section meeting in December.
