Professor Henry Kitchener FMedSci
Professor Emeritus
University of Manchester
Elected Fellow 2007
Gynaecological cancer, cervical screening, HPV vaccines, clinical trials of surgery, novel treatments and screening
Chair of Gynaecological Oncology in Manchester since 1996, Professor Henry Kitchener has made world-leading discoveries in the biology of human papillomavirus (HPV) and the pathogenesis of disease related to HPV infection. He is an international leader in HPV research and cervical screening, with an outstanding record of taking basic and clinical research through to advances in practice. Randomised trials and other controlled studies have defined the optimal management of low-grade cytological abnormality, including the role of HPV testing, the need for prolonged follow up, prognostic factors for treatment failure and the effect of treatment on fertility and helped to establish national clinical practice guidelines. Professor Kitchener has led translational studies of novel therapies for HPV-induced neoplasia, including photodynamic therapy and HPV vaccines, both therapeutic and prophylactic. An additional outstanding contribution has been randomised trials in Gynaecological cancer surgery, which have changed practice. These have included the most widely cited early trial of hysteroscopic endometrial ablation as a treatment for dysfunctional uterine bleeding. This is a major contributor to the fall in hysterectomy rates.