Mr Paul Sutton

Appointments

Consultant Colorectal, Pelvic, and Peritoneal Surgeon – The Christie Hospital.

Consultant General & Colorectal Surgeon – HCA The Christie Private Care & The Wilmslow Hospital.

Honorary Senior Lecturer – Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester.

Editor – British Journal of Surgery.

Practice and Experience

Mr Sutton is well versed in the management of common general and colorectal surgical presentations and procedures. During his formal period of training he participated in a total of 2235 cases (excluding endoscopy). A significant proportion of the aforementioned procedures were performed laparoscopically. Mr Sutton is a fully accredited JAG endoscopist for both upper GI endoscopy and colonoscopy. In addition he has been trained in robotic surgery for both benign and malignant colorectal disease, and has also benefited from training and practical experience of colorectal stenting, TEMS, and endo-rectal ultrasound for the evaluation of early rectal cancer.

Mr Sutton finished his surgical training in 2019, he created and embarked upon a two year dedicated post-CCT training programme in advanced colorectal cancer and peritoneal surface malignancy. During this fellowship Mr Sutton also received further training in robotics and surgery for colorectal, anal, neuroendocrine, and sarcomatous tumours. Mr Sutton complemented this fellowship by completing the EBSQ in Surgical Oncology and the ESSO Fellowship in Peritoneal Surface Malignancy.

Mr Sutton’s current practice at The Christie Hospital includes surgery for complex colorectal cancer, having introduced into the service novel techniques for performing high complexity exenteration. Mr Sutton’s other clinical interests are peritoneal metastases and the management of appendix tumours. Mr Sutton performs regular endoscopy and is the endoscopy training lead for the Trust. His clinical work also includes the generality of general and colorectal surgery, including the management of haemorrhoids, hernias, fissures, fistulae, stomas, and abdominal wall problems. He also provides an emergency service at The Christie Hospital for the surgical management of bleeding, perforation, sepsis, and bowel obstruction.

Mr Sutton’s current research interests include studying the immune microenvironment during total neoadjuvant therapy in locally advanced rectal cancer, the role of circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) in detecting re-recurrence after surgery for locally recurrent rectal cancer, and the genomic analysis of primary and recurrent rectal cancers. His work is funded by the National Institute for Health Research Manchester Biomedical Research Centre, and The Christie Charity. Additional work examines the metastatic niche, the role of RNA damage and extracellular mucus, and the application of deep and machine learning to colorectal cancer metastases.

Mr Sutton has been actively involved in service development, leading several key projects aimed at improving care for patients with complex rectal cancer. In 2023, Mr Sutton helped develop a multi-modal treatment pathway for locally recurrent rectal cancer through the Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance, led the implementation of quality of life monitoring using ePROMS for patients with colorectal cancer at The Christie, and established a dedicated multi-specialty clinic for patients with advanced pelvic malignancy. Alongside this, Mr Sutton has delivered a range of invited talks across national and international platforms on topics including colorectal cancer emergencies, pelvic exenteration, bowel obstruction, peritoneal disease, and complex pelvic surgery. These have taken place at events such as the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland courses, the Royal College of Surgeons of Sri Lanka, and the Royal Society of Medicine. Nationally, Mr Sutton sits on the Advanced Pelvic Malignancy Subcommittee of the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, and is an editor for the British Journal of Surgery.

Mr Sutton has made a meaningful and wide-ranging contribution to the field of colorectal and cancer surgery, with over 100 publications to his name, as well as contributions to several book chapters. His research has helped shape how certain complex colorectal conditions are treated. Some of his recent work includes defining benchmarks for pelvic exenteration surgery, and evaluating unmet needs in patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer.

Mr Sutton is actively involved in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching. He leads the Year 5 surgical attachment at The Christie and oversees a student-selected module in Surgical Oncology. At the postgraduate level, he is a GMC-approved clinical and educational supervisor, module lead for the MSc in Transformative Oncology (University of Manchester), and faculty on multiple national courses, including MRCS/FRCS revision courses, cadaveric pelvic exenteration workshops, and specialty study days.