Manchester researcher awarded prestigious NIHR Research Professorship

Professor Emma Crosbie, Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Co-Theme Lead at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Manchester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) and Honorary Consultant in Gynaecological Oncology at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), has been awarded a prestigious NIHR Research Professorship.   

Professor Crosbie specialises in the screening, prevention and early diagnosis of gynaecological cancers, as well as developing new treatments and interventions to detect cancer at their earliest, treatable stages.

Emma is among seven outstanding researchers who have been awarded an NIHR Research Professorship and through this transformative award over the next five years, Professor Crosbie will dedicate her research to developing a triage tool for the early detection of endometrial cancer in women with postmenopausal bleeding.

Research through the Professorship

Endometrial cancer is the most common gynaecological cancer in the UK with nearly 10,000 new diagnoses every year. Postmenopausal bleeding (PMB) can be a sign of endometrial cancer, triggering urgent referral on the suspected cancer pathway. This involves a series of invasive, often painful and mostly unnecessary tests as only three to five per cent of women with PMB have endometrial cancer.

An accurate triage tool to select high-risk women for invasive tests whilst safely reassuring low risk women, would improve patient care. It would also save thousands of women every year from the harms of unnecessary tests, which can be uncomfortable and anxiety-provoking, allowing resources to be redirected towards more effective pathways.

Professor Crosbie has developed a triage tool that uses routinely collected clinical data and a novel biomarker to predict risk of endometrial cancer in women with PMB. If accurate when tested, this tool would reduce the number of women needing invasive diagnostics by half, without missing any cancers. 

The aim of Emma’s NIHR Professorship is to establish whether the endometrial cancer triage tool is accurate, works for everyone, what the cost implications are, what women and doctors think about it and to develop a clinician-facing online digital calculator for use in the NHS.

Professor Crosbie, who is also a Professor in Gynaecological Oncology at The University of Manchester (UoM), said: “I am delighted and honoured to receive this Research Professorship from the NIHR, and I look forward to dedicating my time over the next five years to developing and refining this important research question, which has the potential to benefit thousands of women across the country every year.

If successful and implemented into clinical practice, this non-invasive, cost-effective, and accurate detection tool could improve patient care by identifying those at high-risk of endometrial cancer, while sparing many healthy women from unnecessary invasive tests.

Leading the way in gynaecological cancer research

Professor Crosbie is an award-winning researcher and has transformed clinical practice across the UK through her research. In 2021, she led the Lynch syndrome screening for endometrial cancer research programme at Saint Mary’s Hospital, part of MFT, that confirmed a strong link between womb cancer and Lynch syndrome.

Following this study, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) commissioned an expert advisory group to assess the evidence, which resulted in a change in guidance that recommends universal testing of all endometrial cancer patients for Lynch syndrome. This guideline means around 1,000 new people per year in the UK alone can benefit from cancer prevention strategies.

Emma and her team across MFT and UoM, known as ‘Team Womb’, were recognised at the BMJ Awards for Cancer Care Team of the Year in 2021, and the Greater Manchester Cancer Research Awards in 2022 for this research. In April 2024, the team were presented with an international American Association for Cancer Research Team Science Award.

In 2020, Professor Crosbie was awarded a five-year NIHR Advanced Fellowship to investigate whether urine testing can be used to screen women for risk of cervical cancer.

The Alternative CErvical Screening (ACES) study is currently ongoing, which is investigating the accuracy and acceptability of urine testing as an alternative to routine cervical screening. This research, supported by the NIHR Manchester BRC, aims to increase screening coverage, especially in communities at risk of cervical cancer but with lower rates of screening attendance, such as those from LGBTQ+ and ethnically diverse backgrounds.

Professor Crosbie is hoping the test will one day transform cervical screening for women both in the UK and around the globe. This research was recently recognised at the Making a Difference Awards 2024 for their ‘outstanding contribution to equality, diversity and inclusion’, hosted by UoM.

Miss Toli Onon, Joint Group Chief Medical Officer at MFT, said: “It is fantastic to see Emma’s huge contributions to gynaecological cancer research being recognised with this prestigious award. I am very proud that MFT has so many leading researchers, like Emma, who are committed to finding new ways to improve care for our patients and transform clinical practice. This award is very well-deserved, and I would like to wish Professor Crosbie the best of luck with her research.”

The NIHR Research Professorships scheme funds and supports research leaders of the future. It aims to strengthen and benefit health, public health and care research leadership.

Professor Anne Barton, Director of the NIHR Manchester BRC, said: “Huge congratulations to Emma on behalf of everyone at Manchester BRC on this outstanding achievement.

For Emma’s work to have been recognised with such a prestigious award is incredible, and could potentially have a tremendous impact in helping to improve patient care for endometrial cancer.

This year, seven leading researchers will receive five-year awards of up to £2 million. Since 2011, 73 people have been successful in gaining the competitive award. Many have gone on to become senior research leaders, including Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Executive Officer of the NIHR and Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department of Health and Social Care.

Professor Waljit Dhillo, Dean of the NIHR Academy who serves on the NIHR Board as Scientific Director for Research Capacity and Capabilities, said: “I am delighted to welcome the latest group of researchers as NIHR Research Professors. These outstanding individuals will play a key role in the research community and I look forward to seeing the positive impact their research will make to the public.

“As a previous NIHR Research Professor, I know the difference and impact that this scheme can make, not only to develop research that can change lives but also to transform a researcher’s career.”

Professor Lucy Chappell said: “The NIHR Research Professorship is one of our most prestigious career awards. The award funds outstanding researchers to help address the major health and care issues of today and in the future, strengthening health, public health and care research leadership at the highest academic levels.

“I congratulate this cohort and look forward to seeing the impact their research will have on people and communities.”

Read more about the latest Research Professorship awardees and their research here.