Personal Profile
Training and Appointment
Dr Neal graduated with his MB BS degree from St. Thomas' Hospital Medical School in London and progressed on to complete his oncology training at The London Hospital and Royal Marsden Hospital.
He completed his MD research in advanced radiotherapy planning at the Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden Hospital, Sutton. He was appointed Consultant Clinical Oncologist in the Breast Unit at the Royal Marsden Hospital, Sutton in 1996 and remained in the post for four years.
He has specialised in the management of breast cancer from 2000 until the current time, and focuses on oncological treatments including radiotherapy, chemotherapy, endocrine therapy, and biological therapy.
Research interests
Dr Neal’s research incorporates systemic therapies for breast cancer and advanced radiotherapy planning. He has published textbooks on cancer medicine including Clinical Oncology: Basic Principles and Practice, which is aimed at medical undergraduates and clinicians who want to increase their understanding of the challenges of managing patients with cancer.
Current practice
Dr Neal is currently Consultant Clinical Oncologist in the Breast Unit at the Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Guildford and is also Honorary Consultant Clinical Oncologist at St Peter’s NHS Foundation Trust in Chertsey. Both hospitals provide a range of clinical and medical oncology treatments including chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Dr Neal works within a team that is then mirrored at Mount Alvernia Hospital too.
Within St Martha’s Cancer Centre, there are nine patient rooms and six pods for chemotherapy. The Centre provides outpatient and daycase services to patients. The service is provided by oncology specialist nurses and consultants and covers diagnostics, intravenous and oral chemotherapy, chemotherapy instillations and monoclonal antibodies therapy. Chemotherapy is given for a number of tumours including breast, urological, prostate, bowel, ovarian, bladder, haematological conditions, upper and lower GI, brain, pancreas, head and neck and melanoma. There is a specialist oncology physiotherapy service, and patients have access to acupuncture and alternative therapies, which Dr Neal recommends as part of an overall treatment plan for each patient.