Dr Vinson Chan

Profile

Dr. Vinson Chan is currently a Clinical Research Fellow in Interventional Oncology and Interventional Radiology. His clinical and academic interests include image-guided ablation, histotripsy, and combination therapies for renal and liver cancers. He also has interests in prostate cancer, uro-oncology, medical education, and collaborative research.

Dr Chan graduated from Leeds Medical School in 2022 with the Hillman Prize in General Medicine. He completed his foundation training at the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Trust in 2024. In 2024, he was awarded a competitive Cancer Research UK Pre-doctoral Research Bursary to pursue a Clinical Research Fellow year in interventional oncology at Leeds. He will be starting training as an Interventional Radiologist in September 2025.

Dr Chan has extensive research experience since 2020. He has over 65 peer-reviewed publications, over 1000 citations and an h-index of 18. His work has directly influenced international guidelines and practice, particularly through studies on renal cancer ablation and biopsy, with publications in European Urology, Radiology, and European Radiology. He was instrumental in landmark studies such as the VISION meta-analysis and the PRIME trial for prostate cancer diagnosis, and currently leads a CRUK-funded project exploring radiomics and machine learning to predict treatment and immune responses to ablative therapies.

Dr Chan is Engagement and Outreach Lead for the UK Interventional Radiology Trainee Research Collaborative (UNITE), leading national research priority-setting initiatives. He also co-founded the Yorkshire Interventional and Imaging Radiology Symposium (YiiRs).

Recognised with multiple national and international awards, Dr Chan has received the Rolf W. Günther Grant (CIRSE), the Steven Carstairs Prize (RCR), and prizes from BSIR, and the Royal Society of Medicine. He remains actively involved in undergraduate medical education and supervision, and is committed to collaborative research that bridges clinical innovation and patient-centred outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Clinical Research Fellow (Prof Adel Samson; Prof Tze Min Wah)

Research interests

1. Biopsy prior to localised renal cancer treatment.

I established the critical role of image-guided biopsy prior to treating small renal masses, addressing the previous practice of treating without malignancy confirmation, which led to high rates of benign tumors being unnecessarily treated or resected. Leading a European analysis of the EuRECA (European Registry for Renal Cryoablation) Registry, I demonstrated that pre-cryoablation biopsy significantly reduces benign treatment rates. This guideline-changing work, published in European Radiology (Impact Factor 4.7; doi:10.1007/s00330-022-08556-2), is now part of the latest European Association of Urology (EAU) guidelines for renal cancer, directly influencing clinical practice.

2. Image-guided ablation for localised renal cancer

My research played a key role in establishing image-guided ablation as a standard treatment for small renal masses, offering a less invasive alternative to traditional surgeries like partial nephrectomy or radical nephrectomy, which are associated with higher complication rates and a reduction in renal function. Our team’s systematic review and meta-analysis, comparing partial nephrectomy and ablative therapy, has significantly impacted beyond radiology. Published in the International Journal of Surgery (Impact Factor 15.3; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsu.2021.106194), this work has garnered over 50 citations to date. Additionally, I conducted a retrospective analysis of 10 years' worth of data comparing partial nephrectomy and image-guided ablation, further supporting the efficacy of ablation as a safer, and equally effective option for the treatment of small renal masses. This work has received multiple accolades including the Steven Carstair Research Prize from the Royal College of Radiologists and Cum Laude at the European Congress of Interventional Oncology.

3. Repeat image-guided ablation in hereditary renal cell carcinoma (RCC)

I have a strong interest in hereditary renal cell carcinoma (RCC), focusing on conditions such as Von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL), hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer (HLRCC), hereditary papillary renal carcinoma (HPRC), and Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome (BHD). These patients often face recurrent renal cancers, making treatment challenging while striving to balance oncological control with renal function preservation. I led a longitudinal observational study spanning over 15 years, focusing on VHL patients treated with image-guided ablation. The study demonstrated the oncological efficacy, renal function preservation, and safety of imageguided ablation in hereditary RCC cases. This work was published in the European Journal of Surgical Oncology (Impact Factor 3.5; doi:10.1016/j.ejso.2021.10.022) and was cited in the Physician Data Query of the National Care Institute for VHL Guidelines (https://www.cancer.gov/publications/pdq/information-summaries/genetics/vhlsyndrome- hp-pdq#_3219). I further conducted a European analysis of hereditary RCC patients within the EuRECA registry, confirming the safety and effectiveness of cryoablation for hereditary RCC. This study was published in Cancers (Basel) (Impact Factor 4.5; doi:10.3390/cancers15072187) and is now incorporated in the latest EAU Guidelines for renal cell carcinoma. Combining my interest in interventional radiology interventions for renal cancer, I contributed to a book chapter on image-guided ablation for small renal masses in Problem Solving in Interventional Oncology (EBN Health). Additionally, I authored an article for Interventional News titled “Shifting Paradigms in Diagnosing and Treating Small Renal Masses”, and a review article published in Seminars in Interventional Radiology (DOI: 10.1055/s- 0044-1787163).

4. Combination immunotherapy and image-guided ablation for advanced or metastatic cancers

Image-guided ablation has the ability to modulate the tumour microenvironment and work in synergy with immunotherapies. Our group investigated the role of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio as prognostic markers for image-guided cryoablation and radiofrequency ablation in small renal cancers. This work was recognised with a podium presentation at the American Urological Association Annual Congress, was published in the journal Cancers (Basel) (Impact Factor 4.5; doi:10.3390/cancers15072187) and was awarded runner-up for the Malcolm Coptcoat Prize at the Royal Society of Medicine, Urology Section. I am also actively involved in pre-clinical and clinical work on combination therapy in advanced liver and renal cancers.

5. Prostate Cancer Diagnosis

I am also interested in prostate cancer diagnosis as part of the clinical operations group for the CRUK-funded and National Cancer Imaging Translational Accelerator (NCITA) supported PRIME (Prostate Imaging using MRI +/- contrast Enhancement) Trial. I played a key role in the study's development, including securing ethical approval, site recruitment, initiation, and quality control. The results are eagerly awaited, however, it has already been awarded the Trainee Research Prize at the Radiological Society of North America 2024. I also led an individual patient data meta-analysis comparing traditional transrectal systematic biopsy with MRI-targeted biopsy for prostate cancer diagnosis, which demonstrated a significantly higher detection rate of clinically significant prostate cancer and a lower detection rate of clinically insignificant cancer. This work was published in the flagship journal European Urology (Impact Factor 25.3; doi:10.1016/j.eururo.2024.08.022) and is expected to be guideline-changing as the first and only level 1a evidence for the use of MRI for prostate cancer diagnosis. Additionally, I co-led a global quality improvement project focused on optimizing prostate MRI protocols, which resulted in a publication in the prestigious Radiology Journal (Impact Factor 12.1; doi:10.1148/radiol.231130).

6. Novel non-thermal ablative modalities

I am interested in using novel technology such as irreversible electroporation (IRE), and histotripsy for image-guided ablation. I led the analysis of an international, multicentre evaluation of IRE in renal cancer, and the results are eagerly awaited. I am also interested in the adoption of histotripsy as a novel technology in immunomodulation and treatment of localised and advanced cancers.

7. Medical Education

I am deeply passionate in medical education, with a strong commitment to inspiring the next generation of medical students to pursue careers in radiology. I co-led the LEARN Study, a multicenter, cross-sectional evaluation of urology teaching in UK medical schools, which successfully recruited over 7,000 undergraduate medical students and foundation year one doctors (BJUIl IF 3.7; https://doi.org/10.1111/bju.15758). This study audited their urology clinical knowledge against the British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) undergraduate curriculum, providing valuable insights into the state of urology education. Building on this experience, I applied the same methodology to interventional radiology. I supervised a group of medical students conducting a multicenter, cross-sectional study that audited the uptake of the British Society of Interventional Radiology and Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe (CIRSE) undergraduate curriculum. This research was well-received, resulting in a publication in Clinical Radiology (Impact Factor 2.1; doi:10.1016/j.crad.2023.07.001) and a commentary in the British Journal of Radiology (Impact Factor 2.6; doi:10.1259/bjr.20220197). In addition to my academic contributions, I have co-led and served as an advisor for the Yorkshire Interventional and Imaging Symposium (YiiRs) for the past five years. This symposium has directly benefitted over 800 attendees and attracted more than £12,500 in industry support and funding. Our experience was published in Clinical Radiology (Impact Factor 2.1; doi:10.1016/j.crad.2021.09.007).

Qualifications

• Medicine and Surgery MBChB 2022 (Leeds)

Professional memberships

• General Medical Council
• British Society of Interventional Radiologist (BSIR)
• Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe (CIRSE)
• European Association of Urology

Student education

I supervise fourth and fifth-year medical students in the ESREP/ ENQUIRE module.