Dr Jason Lester is a Consultant Clinical Oncologist at Sancta Maria Hospital, Swansea, with an NHS practice at the South West Wales Cancer Centre, Swansea Bay University NHS Trust. He is one of the most experienced oncologists in Wales, specialising in the treatment of lung cancers, mesothelioma and urological cancers, with over 20 years of consultant experience since his appointment in 2003.

Dr Lester is also available for private consultations in Bristol and London, and offers remote video and telephone appointments.

Specialist Interests

• Lung cancer (non-small cell, small cell)
• Mesothelioma and asbestos-related cancers
• Urological cancers (prostate, kidney, bladder)
• Proton beam therapy (PBT)
• Stereotactic radiotherapy (SABR)
• Personalised medicine and cancer genomics

Radiotherapy Expertise

Dr Lester has clinical experience across the full range of modern radiotherapy techniques, including:

• Proton beam therapy (PBT)
• MR Linac radiotherapy
• Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR)
• Brachytherapy
• IMRT and VMAT (conventional conformal radiotherapy)

He treated the first patient in the UK to receive proton beam therapy for prostate cancer in 2018, and is the Clinical Lead for the All Wales Prostate Cancer Brachytherapy Service.

Systemic Therapy

Dr Lester’s systemic therapy experience encompasses chemotherapy, targeted therapies (including EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors), immunotherapy, hormone therapy and radioisotope treatments. He uses cancer genomic analysis where appropriate to develop bespoke, personalised treatment plans.

Research and Clinical Trials

Dr Lester is an active clinical researcher and chief investigator on two major trials:

• The I-START trial: a dose escalation study in locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer, funded by Cancer Research UK
• The SKOPOS trial: a vaccine trial in malignant pleural mesothelioma, funded by the June Hancock Mesothelioma Fund

He has published extensively in both lung and urological oncology, with research appearing in the Lancet Oncology, EClinicalMedicine and Nature, and has been a named investigator on the CONFIRM and STAMPEDE trials.

Leadership and Charity

Dr Lester is Director of Stepping Stones, the Wales-based lung cancer charity, and serves as Chairman of the Rutherford Cancer Centre Local Medical Advisory Committee for Wales. He was previously Deputy Clinical Director of Velindre Cancer Centre.

Training and Appointments

Dr Lester qualified from the United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy’s and St Thomas’s in 1993, completed general medical training in London and the South East, and joined Velindre Cancer Centre in 1997, completing his Clinical Oncology training and consultant appointment in 2003.

Professional Memberships

• Fellow of the Royal College of Radiologists (FRCR)
• Member of the Royal College of Physicians (MRCP)