John Gordon McVie (13 January 1945 – 20 January 2021)Professor Gordon McVie
/ref> was an international authority on the treatment and research of cancer. He wrote over 350 peer-reviewed articles, editorials and books. McVie was born in

Glasgow, Scotland Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

and died of non-Hodgkin lymphona and

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

Bristol, England Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in S ...

. He served on several committees including the

American Association for Cancer Research The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world's oldest and largest professional association related to cancer research. Based in Philadelphia, the AACR focuses on all aspects of cancer research, including basic, clinical, and t ...

and the

American Society of Clinical Oncology The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is a professional organization representing physicians of all oncology sub-specialties who care for people with cancer. Founded in 1964 by Fred Ansfield, Harry Bisel, Herman Freckman, Arnoldus G ...

, and the boards of the National Cancer Institutes of France, Italy and the Netherlands. In the UK, he served on the boards of cancer institutes including the Beatson Institute for Cancer Research, the Institute for Cancer Research, and the

Christie Hospital The Christie Hospital in Manchester, England, is one of the largest cancer treatment centres in Europe. It is managed by The Christie NHS Foundation Trust. History The hospital was established by a committee under the chairmanship of Richard Ch ...

. He was a

visiting professor In academia, a visiting scholar, visiting researcher, visiting fellow, visiting lecturer, or visiting professor is a scholar from an institution who visits a host university to teach, lecture, or perform research on a topic for which the visitor ...

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

, Senior Clinical Research Consultant at the Italian Institute for Molecular Oncology (IFOM) Milan, and Non Executive Director at Ellipses Pharma Ltd, UK Chair of ORIL, Australia and Chair of the European Alliance for Personalised Medicine. He contributed several substantial additions to the field of cancer care including establishing localised, more pin-point, administration of

chemotherapy Chemotherapy (often abbreviated to chemo and sometimes CTX or CTx) is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) as part of a standardized chemotherapy regimen. Chemotherap ...

, and encouraging the use of chemotherapy for the treatment of

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...

throughout the EU. He also emphasised the importance of adjusting a patient's management according to their ethnicity.

Education

McVie obtained his degrees in science and medicine at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

in 1969, and became a lecturer in

Therapeutics A therapy or medical treatment (often abbreviated tx, Tx, or Tx) is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a medical diagnosis. As a rule, each therapy has indications and contraindications. There are many different ...

and Materia Medica, University of Edinburgh.

History

In 1970, McVie took an

MRC MRC may refer to Government * Medical Research Council (United Kingdom) * Medical Reserve Corps, a US network of volunteer organizations * Municipalité régionale de comté (regional county municipality), Quebec, Canada * Military Revolutionar ...

research fellowship at Edinburg University, Department of Therapeutics, investigating

Hodgkin lymphoma Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a type of lymphoma, in which cancer originates from a specific type of white blood cell called lymphocytes, where multinucleated Reed–Sternberg cells (RS cells) are present in the patient's lymph nodes. The condition wa ...

. In 1975 McVie became the Foundation Senior Lecturer at the Cancer Research Campaign Oncology Unit (currently

Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre The Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre (BWSCC; formerly called the Beatson Oncology Centre) is a specialised cancer care centre in Glasgow, Scotland. Until recently it had facilities in Gartnavel General Hospital, the Western Infirmary and ...

) at the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

. Under

Gordon Hamilton-Fairley Gordon Hamilton Fairley DM, FRCP (20 April 1930 – 23 October 1975) was a professor of medical oncology. Born and raised in Australia, he moved to the United Kingdom, where he studied and worked. He was killed by a Provisional Irish Republican ...

and Sir Kenneth Calman, he trained in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, spending sabbaticals at the NCI, Bethesda,

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

. In 1979, McVie became the Clinical Research Director at the

Netherlands Cancer Institute The Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI) in Amsterdam was founded in 1913 by, among others, the surgeon Jacob Rotgans. The NKI, together with the Antoni van Leeuwenhoekziekenhuis, is formed into the NKI-AVL, which combines a scientific research ins ...

, and Consultant in Medical Oncology at the Antoni van Leewenhoek hospital in

. He developed a

drug development Drug development is the process of bringing a new pharmaceutical drug to the market once a lead compound has been identified through the process of drug discovery. It includes preclinical research on microorganisms and animals, filing for re ...

laboratory, and a clinical research unit, for Phase 1 and 2 drugs, plus establishing intraperitoneal therapy in

ovarian cancer Ovarian cancer is a cancerous tumor of an ovary. It may originate from the ovary itself or more commonly from communicating nearby structures such as fallopian tubes or the inner lining of the abdomen. The ovary is made up of three different c ...

and limb perfusion in localised

sarcoma A sarcoma is a malignant tumor, a type of cancer that arises from transformed cells of mesenchymal (connective tissue) origin. Connective tissue is a broad term that includes bone, cartilage, fat, vascular, or hematopoietic tissues, and sarcom ...

and

melanoma Melanoma, also redundantly known as malignant melanoma, is a type of skin cancer that develops from the pigment-producing cells known as melanocytes. Melanomas typically occur in the skin, but may rarely occur in the mouth, intestines, or eye ( ...

. At the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (

EORTC The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) is a unique pan-European non-profit clinical cancer research organisation established in 1962 operating as an international association under Belgium law. It develops, conduc ...

) he started the

group and researched standard

/ irradiation regimes which were adopted for small and non small cell lung cancer,

mesothelioma Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that develops from the thin layer of tissue that covers many of the internal organs (known as the mesothelium). The most common area affected is the lining of the lungs and chest wall. Less commonly the lining ...

and

thymoma A thymoma is a tumor originating from the epithelial cells of the thymus that is considered a rare malignancy. Thymomas are frequently associated with neuromuscular disorders such as myasthenia gravis; thymoma is found in 20% of patients with mya ...

. As Chair of the Pharmacology and Metabolism Group he developed a platform for young investigators to present new molecules and their pharmacology. He was elected President of EORTC and initiated the present Drug Development Group in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

, and with NCI support, the European New Drug Development Network and the joint EORTC, NCI, CRC Formulation Committee for anti cancer molecules. In 1989 McVie became the Scientific Director then Director General of the

Cancer Research Campaign Cancer Research UK (CRUK) is the world's largest independent cancer research organization. It is registered as a charity in the United Kingdom and Isle of Man, and was formed on 4 February 2002 by the merger of The Cancer Research Campaign and t ...

. During this time over 60 new drugs were taken from laboratory to clinical trial, and

carboplatin Carboplatin, sold under the trade name Paraplatin among others, is a chemotherapy medication used to treat a number of forms of cancer. This includes ovarian cancer, lung cancer, head and neck cancer, brain cancer, and neuroblastoma. It is used b ...

temozolomide Temozolomide (TMZ), sold under the brand name Temodar among others, is a medication used to treat brain tumors such as glioblastoma and anaplastic astrocytoma. Text was copied from this source which is © European Medicines Agency. Reproduction i ...

olaparib Olaparib, sold under the brand name Lynparza, is a medication for the maintenance treatment of BRCA-mutated advanced ovarian cancer in adults. It is a PARP inhibitor, inhibiting poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP), an enzyme involved in DNA repair ...

and

abiraterone Abiraterone acetate, sold under the brand name Zytiga among others, is a medication used to treat prostate cancer. Specifically it is used together with a corticosteroid for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) and metastat ...

, all important “breakthrough” anticancer drugs, emerged. In the UK he was one of the architects of the Cancer Trials Networks in Scotland, Wales, and England, and was a founding member of the

National Cancer Research Institute The National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) is a UK-wide partnership between cancer research funders, which promotes collaboration in cancer research. Its member organizations work together to maximize the value and benefit of cancer research fo ...

, UK. Having overseen a doubling of Cancer Research Campaign charitable income, he led the merger with ICRF to found Cancer Research UK (CRUK), the largest cancer charity in Europe. In 2002 McVie became joint CEO of Cancer Research UK with Sir

Paul Nurse Sir Paul Maxime Nurse (born 25 January 1949) is an English geneticist, former President of the Royal Society and Chief Executive and Director of the Francis Crick Institute. He was awarded the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine along ...

, where he continued to support new molecule testing and support start-up companies. Then in 2003 McVie founded a new endeavour, Cancer Intelligence, then with the late Umberto Veronesi - a free online global cancer journa
ecancer.org
which was published for eleven years in Zurich, then moved to become a UK charity. In 2004 McVie became a Senior Consultant of Clinical Research at the

European Institute of Oncology The European Institute of Oncology ( it, Istituto Europeo di Oncologia, IEO) is a non-profit private-law comprehensive cancer centre located in Milan, Italy. It is a clinic, a research centre and a training institution. IEO is a member of EU-LIFE ...

, Milan. He set up a clinical research unit to test new molecules and devices, and synergised the new institute with other leading cancer centres throughout the world. In 2016 he joined the Italian Institute for Molecular Oncology in Milan.

Honours and distinctions

1967Gunning Victoria Jubilee Prize in Pathology
1977Honeyman Gillespie Lecturer in Medicine
1978Visiting Fellow, University of Paris, Department of Medical Oncology
1979Visiting Fellow, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam
1980Consultant, Carcinogenesis of Cytostatic Drugs, International Agency Research in Cancer, WHO, Lyon
1983Visiting Professor, University of Sydney, NSW Australia
1990–1996 Visiting Professor, British Postgraduate Medical Federation, London University
1990–1998 Chairman UICC Fellowships Program and Board member (Union Internationale Contre le Cancer/International Union Against Cancer)
1994–1997 President, European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer
1994–2002 First European Editor of Journal of the National Cancer Institute, US
1995King of Jordan’s Medal for Excellence in Science
1996DSc (Hon) University of Abertay, Dundee
1996–2000 Visiting Professor, University of Glasgow
1997DSc (Hon) University of Nottingham
1998FMedSci (Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences)
1999DSc (Hon) University of Portsmouth
2000Semmelweis Medal for Excellence in Science, Budapest
2000Medal of the National Scientific Research Fund of Belgium
2001Silver Medal, Royal Scottish Society of Arts
2001Medal of the National Cancer Society of Greece
2001FRCSE (Hon) (Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons), Ed
2002DSc (Hon) Napier University, Edinburgh
2003–2006 Visiting Professor in Cancer Medicine, University of Cardiff
2005DSc (Hon) University of Ghent, Belgium
2004Fellow of the European Academy of Cancer Sciences
2005MD (Hon), University of Bath
2017Fellow of the Association of Cancer Physicians, UK

References

External links

Netherlands Cancer Institute

''e''cancer.org

Italian Institute for Molecular Oncology

''e''cancermedicalscience
{{DEFAULTSORT:McVie, Gordon 20th-century Scottish medical doctors 1945 births 2021 deaths Academics of the University of Edinburgh Alumni of the University of Edinburgh British oncologists Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences (United Kingdom) Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh

Education

History

Honours and distinctions

References

Further reading

External links