Dr. Jeremy Rees

Consultant in Neurology with special interest in Neuro-oncology

I have been a consultant neurologist at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery since 1999. I also work at University College London Hospital, Royal Marsden Hospital, Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital and Mount Vernon Cancer Centre. I specialise in the assessment and treatment of common neurological conditions e.g. headaches, migraine, trigeminal neuralgia, blackouts, epilepsy, vertigo, dizzy spells, parkinson's disease, tremor, numbness, neuropathy and memory problems.

I have a special interest and expertise in looking after patients with brain and spinal tumours particularly low-grade gliomas e.g. astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas. I have recently published a paper with colleagues from the National Hospital showing a significant improval in survival and control of epilepsy in patients with low-grade gliomas over the last 10 years due to increasing use of early surgery.

Recent Articles:
- NHS boosts brain tumour survival rates
- Early brain tumour surgery could dramatically improve survival rates

I also see patients with cancer who have neurological problems due to chemotherapy, immunotherapy and CAR-T cells as well as side effects from radiotherapy treatments.

I am a national expert in the diagnosis and management of patients with paraneoplastic neurological syndromes.

Brain Tumours

Brain tumours affect people of all ages and usually cause a combination of symptoms including headaches, vomiting, blackouts, funny turns, paralysis, speech or memory problems. A brain scan is required in all cases of suspected brain tumour followed by surgery to diagnose the exact type of tumour. The care of patients with brain tumours requires the input of a multidisciplinary team and this would be carried out in the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery.

Career

I qualified in 1988 from University College and Middlesex Medical School with distinctions in Medicine, Surgery and Therapeutics. After general professional training in various postgraduate London teaching hospitals, I was awarded a prestigious MRC Clinical Training Fellowship at Guy's Hospital, investigating the association between C jejuni infection and Guillain-Barre syndrome completing a PhD in 1985. I then did my neurology training at the Royal Free Hospital, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, St Thomas' Hospital and neuro-oncology training at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York.

I am the only neurologically trained neuro-oncologist in England, Ireland and Wales and am referred patients with neurological problems due to brain tumours or other cancers from all over the country and from abroad. I was the neurologist advising the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) on writing national Brain Tumour Guidelines and have been a member of the National Cancer Research Network Brain Tumour Clinical Studies Group. I was the UK Chief Investigator for an important trial comparing chemotherapy against radiotherapy in Low-Grade Gliomas.

I have extensive teaching experience both of medical students and qualified doctors and organise an annual teaching course for professionals involved in the care of patients with brain tumours(https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ion/study/queen-square-courses/neurooncology/principles-neuro-oncology-programme). I have given invited lectures at national and international neurology conferences on all aspects of neuro-oncology.

I am an expert witness in medical negligence cases involving misdiagnosis and treatment of brain tumours and neurological complications of cancer.

I have published over seventy papers and reviews in scientific and medical journals, have contributed chapters on brain tumours and neurological complications of cancer to various reference books including the Queen Square Textbook and Oxford Textbook of Medicine. I have edited a textbook on neuro-oncology and have jointly edited a textbook on Neuro-oncology. - Order on Amazon -

Clinical Leadership

Brain Cancer Clinical Pathway Director, London Cancer