The Magdalene Medical Society Dinner 2027

We are delighted to invite current and former Magdalene medical students, alumni who work in the medical profession, and their guests, to the Magdalene Medical Society Lecture and Dinner.

We are honoured that the speaker on this occasion will be Professor Ian Kunkler (1970), M.B.B.Chir, FRCPE, FRCR, Institute of Cancer Genetics, University of Edinburgh. 

Prior to the Medical Society Dinner Professor Kunkler will be delivering a lecture from 4.00-5.00pm on the subject of 'De-escalating  adjuvant radiotherapy in early breast cancer: is less more?' 

Radiotherapy with surgery and systemic therapy are the core treatments in the multidisciplinary treatment of early breast cancer. With breast screening and advances in  diagnostic  imaging and pathology, they have led to a dramatic fall in UK breast cancer mortality. Now around 70% of patients can be treated with breast conserving surgery (BCS)  and only around one third requiring mastectomy. Historically virtually all patients underwent postoperative radiotherapy after BCS and most with node positive disease after mastectomy. Over the last two decades randomised trials have shown that postoperative radiotherapy after breast conserving surgery and mastectomy with appropriate systemic therapy can be selectively omitted. Other trials of selective radiotherapy de-escalation are ongoing. Shorter courses of radiotherapy have proved as effective and more convenient to patients but with lower acute and late morbidity. There has been a paradigm shift in loco-regional radiotherapy from an anatomy based approach to a biologically informed and adapted one. Response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy can guide the need for adjuvant irradiation. Identifying biomarkers which  predict individual benefit from irradiation is an active field of investigation but none is yet sufficiently validated for routine use in the clinic.

Members are then invited to attend the Magdalene Medical Society Dinner in Hall for a black tie meal. 

Programme

• Date: Saturday 6 February 2027
• Time: 
  • 4.00-5.00pm: Lecture by Professor Ian Kunkler, The Humphrey Cripps Auditorium, Cripps Court
  • 6.45pm: Pre-Dinner Drinks in Benson Hall
  • 7.30pm: Dinner in Hall
• Dress Code: The dress code for dinner is black tie. There is no dress code for the lecture. There will be a changing room set aside in College for guests should they require it.
• Cost (which includes pre-dinner drinks, followed by a three course meal with wine, coffee, cheese and port): 
  • Lecture: Free
  • Dinner and Drinks: £90 
  • Dinner and Drinks, including a donation to assist in subsidising current students: £100 

We would be most grateful if alumni would consider opting for the higher ticket price of £100, which includes a £10 donation so that we can help subsidise this event for current Magdalene students in attendance. Your support is most appreciated. Alternatively you can opt to donate an amount of your choosing within the booking form to assist in subsidising the event so students can attend.

Booking

Registration is essential. To book you place, please complete the form below. Should you have any questions or problems, please contact alumni@magd.cam.ac.uk.

Professor Ian Kunkler (1970), M.B.B.Chir, FRCPE, FRCR Professor Kunkler is Consultant in Clinical Oncology at the Edinburgh Cancer Centre, University of Edinburgh. His research interests are in adjuvant trials of radiotherapy for breast cancer, the development of biosensors in cancer management and the application of telemedicine in cancer care. Professor Kunkler was included in the TIME100 Health List 2026 for his study into outcomes from radiotherapy use in early breast cancer treatment. He is Chief Investigator of the BIG 2-04 MRC/EORTC SUPREMO trial, the PRIME 2 trial and Principal Investigator at Edinburgh University in the European FP7 large scale integrating project (METOXIA) on translating the hypoxic microenvironment. He has edited two editions of Walter and Miller’s Textbook of Radiotherapy and published over 100 articles. He is also a past President of the British Oncological Association. 

For full terms and conditions relating to this event please visit our Alumni Events - Guidance and Information page.

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Alumni Events Contact

Please contact us if you have any questions or would like to book to attend a Magdalene Alumni event.

Alumni Events Team
Mrs Emma Tunbridge-Hibbert
Miss Sarah Rodwell

E events@magd.cam.ac.uk