Meet Antony Michalski - consultant oncologist

We caught up with Antony (better known as Ski) to find out more about the childhood cancer research trials being carried out at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

12 questions with Ski:

What is a paediatric oncologist?

A paediatric oncologist is a doctor who specialises in treating childhood cancer.  

Why does Great Ormond Street Hospital carry out research into cancer?

We see more children with cancer here than anywhere else in the UK – plus we’ve got the specialist research skills we need onsite, to make treatments less harmful and more effective. 

Millions are spent on cancer research each year – aren’t we nearly there?

Cancer is a single word for a huge number of diseases.  Seven out of ten children diagnosed with cancer are cured – but there are still many types of cancer where our best efforts just haven’t worked.  We desperately need new strategies. 

Research conjures up images of laboratories – how is what you do different?

Parts of our work are certainly done in the lab – but so much of our research asks how we can improve treatment for an individual child.  This type of research works best if there’s a two-way collaboration between clinic and lab. 

What are the kids you treat at the hospital like?

They’re fantastic!  They have such a positive attitude. So many of them are so young, but have such complicated and traumatic diseases.  It makes you feel humble just being around them. 

How many people are involved in a child’s care?

Over 50 – though there is always a lead nurse and a doctor, we work as a team.  Everyone’s input is equally important if we’re to provide the best care. 

What’s so special about Great Ormond Street Hospital?

It’s entirely focussed on kids and families – that’s our absolute guiding principle.  You can really feel it running through all the work we do. 

What does the phrase ‘bench to bedside’ mean when talking about research?

It means that an observation made in a laboratory is developed into a treatment used routinely in clinical practice, through a series of well designed, ethically conducted studies. 

Treatments must be very tough for kids – how do you make it ok?

We want to give kids as much control as possible over what’s happening to them.  Play comes most naturally to children if they’re feeling well – so we put play first and try to shape the treatment around it. 

What’s the atmosphere like on a ward?

Surprisingly happy, considering the severity of the diseases some of these kids have.  There’s just so much enthusiasm – and when a child ends up healthy it just makes everyone sparkle. 

How did you get into cancer research?

I was studying cancer for my doctoral thesis, but my clinical work was based around children.  I was drawn to researching better treatments for childhood cancer as you can really make a difference – if not, some of these kids will die. 

What does the future hold?

I wish I knew!  I hope that it holds increased survival rates and fewer side effects for children with cancer.  If we can design good studies that develop treatments with proven benefit, I also hope we will start to receive more funding from the Government – until then, we’re reliant on the generosity of the public’s support across competing charitable causes.