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Clinical and Pathway leads

Our Clinical and Pathway Leads are senior clinicians who provide leadership and expert guidance across cancer pathways in Thames Valley.

Alongside their clinical and other roles, they work collaboratively across organisations to improve pathways, reduce unwarranted variation, and support better outcomes and experiences for people affected by cancer.

Each lead brings deep expertise in their area and a shared commitment to improving cancer care across the system.

Meet the clinicians leading pathway development and improvement across Thames Valley:

The Breast Cancer CQG brings together clinicians involved in breast cancer diagnosis, treatment, and care. The group works across organisations to support consistent pathways, review variation, and improve outcomes and experience for people affected by breast cancer.

 Toral Gathani has been clinical lead for the breast cancer Clinical Quality Group since October 2024. Toral is a clinical academic holding posts as Associate Professor in the Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Consultant Breast Surgeon in Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and Chair of the Research, Innovation and Development Advisory Committee for the Breast Screening Programme in NHS England.  She is a member of the Audit Advisory Committee for the National Audit of Primary Breast Cancer and the UK Breast Cancer Clinical Studies Group.

She is the Chief Investigator for AgeX, a trial of 4.5 million women evaluating the benefits and harms of widening the age range that routine population based screening is offered, and for a programme of work investigating the associations of ethnicity and breast cancer

The Gynaecological Cancer Clinical Quality Group focuses on cancers affecting the female reproductive system, including ovarian, uterine, cervical, vulval, and vaginal cancers. The group supports coordinated, specialist care by sharing expertise, reviewing pathways, and contributing to service improvement across the region.

The Lung Cancer team supports clinical leadership across the lung cancer pathway, from diagnosis through treatment and follow-up. Its work focuses on improving consistency of care, supporting early diagnosis, and sharing learning to improve outcomes for people affected by lung cancer.

The Colorectal Cancer Clinical Quality Group (CQG) brings together clinicians from across the system to support consistent pathways, reduce variation, and improve outcomes and experiences for people affected by colorectal cancer. It is sometimes called Lower Gastrointestinal (LGI) cancer and affects the bowel and related digestive organs

Through collaboration across screening, diagnostics, and treatment services, the group focuses on delivering safe, timely, and well-coordinated care across the pathway.

David James is a Consultant Colorectal Surgeon at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust. He completed his higher surgical training in Oxford and undertook fellowship training at the Mayo Clinic, USA, and the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Australia.

He specialises in the management of colorectal cancer and has established a service for the detection and treatment of anal dysplasia (anal pre-cancer). He has served as Colorectal Care Quality Group Lead since 2020.

Focusing on the diagnosis and management of skin cancers, including melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer, the CQG supports pathway development and clinical collaboration to promote timely diagnosis and high-quality care across Thames Valley.

Urological Cancer covers cancers affecting the urinary system and male reproductive organs, including prostate, bladder, kidney, and testicular cancers. Supporting consistent, evidence-based pathways and improve experience and outcomes for people affected by urological cancers.

Tom Leslie has been clinic lead and chaired the Urology Clinical Quality Group since 2022.

He is Consultant Urological Surgeon, Oxford University Hospitals and Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trusts. His main clinical areas of interest are prostate cancer – robotic prostatectomy, diagnosis of prostate cancer including targeted and template biopsies, minimally invasive treatments for prostate cancer such as HIFU.

He is also Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer in the Nuffield Department of Surgical Science, University of Oxford and has published over 80 peer-reviewed papers, book chapters and articles. He is Principal Investigator for NIHR funded clinical trials such as PART, TRANLSATE, PROMOTE, ADD-Aspirin, and the Medical Detection Dogs. He sits on the UK Prostate Cancer Clinical Research Strategy Group, the national steering group for Prostate cancer research in the UK.

Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy (SACT) work focuses on the delivery of treatments such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapies. Supporting safe, high-quality treatment delivery through shared standards, governance, and continuous improvement across services.