Dr Sharadah Essapen

Dr Sharadah Essapen is a Consultant Clinical Oncologist with a specialist interest in lower gastrointestinal and anal cancers. She currently serves as Deputy Chief of Service for Oncology at St Luke’s Cancer Centre, part of the Royal Surrey County NHS Foundation Trust.

Appointed in February 2003, Dr Essapen sees patients across Ashford and St Peter’s Hospital (Chertsey) and Frimley Park Hospital. Alongside her clinical work, she has held key leadership roles at St Luke’s, including Lead Clinician for both Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy, and remains deeply involved in service development and patient care.

She completed her oncology training at several leading cancer centres, including Barts and The London NHS Trust, The Royal Marsden Hospital, and the Royal Surrey County Hospital. Prior to her consultant post, she undertook a two-year MD research programme exploring the prognostic value of specific proteins in colon cancer.

Dr Essapen is fully trained in Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) for rectal and anal cancers, and has extensive knowledge of targeted therapies such as Papillon, SIRT, and Nanoknife. Her expertise also includes systemic chemotherapy, monoclonal antibody treatments, and immunotherapy.

She plays a central role in clinical research at St Luke’s Cancer Centre, acting as Principal Investigator on multiple national and international trials in colorectal and anal cancer. She also contributes to laboratory-based research focused on cancer cell surface receptors, supervises PhD candidates, and has published widely in her field.

Dr Essapen remains fully committed to advancing research and improving outcomes for her patients.