Dr Shaffer is a Consultant Clinical Oncologist and a prominent UK expert in the use of radiotherapy for treating benign disease (including Dupuytren’s disease, Ledderhose, plantar fasciitis and keloid scarring) and skin and urological cancers.
Since Dr Shaffer started his practice in 2011, he has treated approximately 2000 benign patients, and provides training and mentoring to fellow consultants starting benign radiotherapy practices.
Dr Shaffer co-wrote the 2015 Royal College of Radiologists guidelines on radiotherapy for benign conditions and is the founder and President of the International Society for Radiotherapy for Benign Conditions (isrbc.org).
Background
Dr Shaffer provided evidence to NICE in 2016 on Radiotherapy for Dupuytren’s disease and he is the UK Clinical Lead for Radiotherapy for skin and benign conditions at Dupuytren’s UK and chairs their weekly UK skin and benign Multidisciplinary team meeting. He is also Medical Director of XStrahl Limited – a medical device company that makes superficial radiotherapy machine for the treatment of benign conditions and skin cancer.
He has previously been chair of the IMRT-IGRT Radiotherapy Group, Clinical Lead for Radiotherapy at St Luke’s Cancer Centre, and a trustee of the Fountain Centre (a local patient support charity).
In his early career, Dr Shaffer trained as a specialist registrar at various London teaching hospitals, and also completed a Clinical Fellowship in Radiation Oncology at the British Columbia Cancer Agency in Vancouver, Canada.
Specialties
• Dupuytren’s disease
• Ledderhose disease
• Plantar fasciitis
• Keloid scarring
• Skin Cancer
• Prostate Cancer
• Bladder Cancer
Year qualified
1998
Professional memberships
• Member of the Royal College of Physicians
• Fellow of the Royal College of Radiologists
Academic journals
Dr Shaffer has contributed extensively to numerous respected journals, including being an expert contributor for the ‘Keloid’ topic in British Medical Journal Best Practice. He is also a reviewer of manuscripts for journals on radiotherapy for benign conditions
Selected publications
A review of the use of radiotherapy in the UK for the treatment of benign clinical conditions and benign tumours. Royal College of Radiologists 2015.
Radiotherapy for benign disease; assessing the risk of radiation-induced cancer following exposure to intermediate dose radiation. Stephanie McKeown, Paul Hatfield, Robin Prestwich, Richard Shaffer, Roger Taylor. British Journal of Radiology 2015; 88: 20150405.
A comparison of volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) and conventional intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for front and temporal high-grade gliomas. Richard Shaffer, Alan M Nichol, Emily Vollans, Ming Fong, Sandy Nakano, Vitali Moiseenko, Moira Schmuland, Roy Ma, Michael McKenzie, Karl Otto, International Journal of Radiation Oncology and Bio Physics, Vol 76, No. 4, pp. 1177-1184
Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy and Conventional Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy for Simultaneous Maximal Intraprostratic Boost: a Planning Comparison Study. R. Shaffer, W. J. Morris, V. Moiseenko, C. Crumley, S. Nakano, M. Schuland, T. Pickles, K. Otto. Clinical Oncology (2009) 21: 401-407
Conferences
As part of Dr Shaffer’s commitment to provide effective treatment through global review of research and current practice, he regularly presents at international conferences, some of which being:
• Keynote address and session chair at International Dupuytren’s Society 5-yearly meeting: Radiotherapy for Dupuytren’s and related conditions (November 2021)
• Overall chair of Special interest clinical symposia: Treating Benign Conditions with Radiation Therapy (Sept 2021)
• Presented “Radiotherapy for Psoriasis” at the special interest clinical symposia (September 2021)
• Presented “Radiotherapy for heel pain” at the special interest clinical symposia (September 2021)
• Presented “Superficial/Orthovoltage- Systems – forgotten modality for treating NMSC and benign conditions” at international cancer conference in Mexico Reunion Anual Instituo Nacional de Cancerologia
(February 2020)
• Presented poster: “Outcomes of Radiotherapy for Ledderhose disease (Plantar Fibromatosis) of the feet” at The European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology ESTRO [2018]
Forums
Dr Shaffer engages regularly to provide expert advice to patients. He is the physician expert for facebook forums “DART – Dupuytrens (and ledderhose) advocates for radiation therapy” and “Dupuytrens, Ledderhose and related conditions support”, of which he is also board member.