Eleni Karapanagiotou

Dr Eleni (Lena) Karapanagiotou is a distinguished Medical Oncologist and Honorary Senior Lecturer with extensive expertise in thoracic malignancies, clinical research, and translational oncology.

During her specialist training, she developed a strong interest in research and was awarded a PhD from Athens Medical School in 2011 for her work in non-small cell lung cancer. She subsequently received a prestigious fellowship from the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), which brought her to the Institute of Cancer Research in London. There, she continued her research into novel cancer therapeutics, focusing on combining chemotherapy with innovative treatments such as oncolytic viruses and immunotherapy. She was later awarded an MD(Res) in 2013, and her research has been widely presented at international conferences and published in leading peer-reviewed journals.

Dr Karapanagiotou is committed to advancing cancer care through both clinical innovation and research. She was instrumental in establishing the Geriatric Oncology Clinic at Guy's Hospital, reflecting her commitment to improving outcomes for older patients with cancer. More recently, her research has focused on the use of real-world evidence (RWE) to complement clinical trials by integrating comprehensive clinical data with tissue and liquid biopsy samples. Her aim is to bridge the evidence gaps that remain unanswered by conventional clinical trials and to enable more personalised cancer care through translational research and artificial intelligence.

She has also developed a particular expertise in rare thoracic malignancies, especially thymic epithelial tumours. As Chief Investigator of the National Thymic Registry, she leads collaborative research to improve the understanding, management, and outcomes of these rare cancers through high-quality real-world data.

Dr Karapanagiotou has authored more than 70 peer-reviewed scientific publications and continues to contribute to international research collaborations. As a Principal Investigator and Chief Investigator in multiple national and international clinical trials, her research focuses on immunotherapy, targeted therapies, and novel treatment strategies for thoracic cancers. She also serves as an advisor to NICE on the evaluation of new cancer therapies, contributing to the development of evidence-based national treatment recommendations.

In addition to her research achievements, Dr Karapanagiotou is the Senior Editor of the award-winning textbook _Problem Solving in Cancer and Fertility_, which received the British Medical Association (BMA) Medical Book Award in 2022.

Beyond her academic and clinical accomplishments, Dr Karapanagiotou is recognised for her compassionate and patient-centred approach to care. She believes in treating every patient as an individual, combining clinical excellence with empathy and a holistic approach that considers not only the disease but also each person's quality of life, values, and wellbeing.