Olubukola Ayodele

Dr. Olubukola Ayodele is a Consultant Medical Oncologist and Breast Cancer Lead at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, and Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer at the University of Leicester. Born in Nigeria, she trained in medical oncology in the Republic of Ireland before obtaining a dual fellowship in drug development and sarcoma at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (PMCC) in Toronto, Canada, where she became the inaugural recipient of the ISMO-PMCC Collaboration Fellowship Award in 2018. A breast cancer specialist and clinical trials leader, Dr. Ayodele heads breast cancer clinical trials at Leicester Cancer Research Centre and conducts translational research into the molecular drivers and biomarkers of breast cancer. She is equally distinguished as a health equity advocate, working to reduce cancer inequalities for Black women and ethnic minority communities in the UK and globally. She is the founder of Cancer Conversations CIC, co-convenor of London Global Cancer Week, a Trustee for Make 2nds Count, and a member of the European Cancer Organisation Inequalities Network and Breast Cancer Now Inequalities Funding Committee. She has received the ASCO Conquer Cancer Endowed Merit Award, the AACR Arti Hurria Award in Geriatric Oncology, and the Male Breast Cancer Global Alliance Award.

Current Positions

• Consultant Medical Oncologist, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, August 2021–present
• Breast Cancer Lead, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, August 2024–present
• Breast Cancer Clinical Trials Lead, Leicester Cancer Research Centre, University of Leicester, May 2023–present
• Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer, Leicester Cancer Research Centre, University of Leicester, December 2021–present
• Co-Founder, Cancer Conversations CIC, September 2025–present
• Co-Convenor, London Global Cancer Week, November 2025–present
• Steering Committee Member, London Global Cancer Week, November 2024–present
• Member, Board of Trustees, Make 2nds Count, November 2025–present
• Steering Committee Member, Women For Oncology UK, October 2025–present

Education

• MBBS, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria (Medical Internship, December 2006–December 2007)
• CCST — Medical Oncology, The Royal College of Physicians in Ireland, 2015–2020
• Postgraduate Diploma, Global Health Education, University of Toronto, 2020–2021
• Global Oncology Leadership Development Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, August 2020–May 2021
• Drug Development (Fellowship Training), University of Toronto / Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, 2019–2021
• MSc, Healthcare Leadership, University of Hull, September 2023–September 2025

Professional Experience

• Senior Medical Officer, General Hospital Omu-Aran, Kwara, Nigeria (National Youth Service Corps), January–December 2008
• Senior House Officer, Oncology, Letterkenny General Hospital, Donegal, Ireland, February 2011–July 2012
• Senior House Officer, Wexford General Hospital, July 2012–January 2014
• Medical Oncology Resident, University Hospital Waterford, January 2014–July 2015
• Specialist Registrar, Medical Oncology, University Hospital Waterford, July 2015–July 2016
• Specialist Registrar, Medical Oncology, St. Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin, July 2016–July 2018
• Specialist Registrar, Medical Oncology, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, July 2018–July 2019
• Clinical Research Fellow, Drug Development Program / Phase 1 / Sarcoma / Breast, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, July 2019–July 2021
• Consultant Medical Oncologist and Breast Cancer Lead, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, August 2021–present
• Breast Cancer Clinical Trials Lead, Leicester Cancer Research Centre, May 2023–present
• Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer, University of Leicester, December 2021–present

Research Activity

• Breast cancer clinical trials: Head of breast cancer clinical trials at Leicester Cancer Research Centre; leads both academic and commercial trials including real-world studies of adjuvant abemaciclib (CONCISE Study), neoadjuvant immunotherapy in TNBC, sacituzumab govitecan in metastatic TNBC, atezolizumab plus nab-paclitaxel in PD-L1-positive metastatic/locally advanced TNBC, CDK 4/6 inhibitors in HR+/HER2– metastatic breast cancer, and pembrolizumab plus neoadjuvant chemotherapy in early TNBC
• Male breast cancer: Contributor to the Male Breast Cancer Global Alliance; co-author on CONCISE Study subgroup analysis of adjuvant abemaciclib in male breast cancer (Clinical Cancer Research, 2026)
• Breast cancer biomarkers and molecular biology: Translational research on neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) as predictors of pathological complete response in neoadjuvant breast cancer; whole-genome and whole-exome sequencing in breast cancer (co-author, Breast Cancer, 2024); non-coding regions in breast cancer and therapeutic implications (Pharmaceuticals, 2025); comparative pharmacological review of HER2-positive advanced breast cancer therapies
• Drug development and phase I trials: Dual fellowship in drug development and sarcoma at PMCC; experience with early-phase clinical trials including durvalumab combinations and novel agents
• Sarcoma immunotherapy: Co-investigator on the DAPPER trial (durvalumab plus olaparib or cediranib in leiomyosarcoma), published in Clinical Cancer Research (2023); contributed to immune correlate analyses and transcriptome analyses from DAPPER; published review on immunotherapy in soft-tissue sarcoma (Current Oncology, 2020) — 126 citations
• Colorectal and pancreatic cancer: Co-investigator, phase II DAPPER-CRC/PDAC study of durvalumab with olaparib or cediranib in MMR-proficient colorectal and pancreatic cancer (Clinical Colorectal Cancer, 2024); translational analyses of tumor microenvironment dynamics
• Geriatric oncology: Recipient of the AACR Arti Hurria Award; research on attitudes of younger versus older patients towards cancer clinical trials (31 citations, Journal of Geriatric Oncology, 2016); real-world tolerability of adjuvant abemaciclib in older adults (CONCISE Study, Clinical Cancer Research, 2026)
• Health equity and breast cancer inequalities: Founder of Cancer Conversations CIC; co-author on research examining breast cancer in Black women in the UK and globally; member of Breast Cancer Now Inequalities Funding Committee and European Cancer Organisation Inequalities Network; authored SSRN preprint on breast cancer inequities among Black women in the UK as a global oncology instructive example; passionate advocate for reducing cancer disparities in ethnic minority communities
• Global oncology: Alumna of the PMCC Global Oncology Leadership Development Program; holds PG Diploma in Global Health Education from the University of Toronto; contributor to global landscape analysis of HER2-positive breast cancer availability, accessibility, and affordability (ONCOLLEGE study, Journal of Cancer Policy, 2021); authored article on global oncology in 2024 (Journal of Global Medicine)
• Artificial intelligence in oncology: Co-investigator on UK single-centre simulation trial evaluating time implications and health economics of an AI-assisted breast cancer multidisciplinary team (MDT) platform (Clinical Cancer Research, 2026)
• Adrenal cortical cancer: Contributing investigator on Princess Margaret Cancer Centre retrospective analyses of surgery after chemotherapy and beyond first-line chemotherapy in metastatic adrenal cortical cancer (Annals of Oncology, 2022; Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2022)

Honors and Awards

• Male Breast Cancer Global Alliance Award, 2025
• AACR Arti Hurria Award in Geriatric Oncology, 2025
• ASCO Conquer Cancer Endowed Merit Award, 2021
• Inaugural ISMO-PMCC Collaboration Fellowship Award, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, 2018
• Certifications: Publon Academy Peer Reviewer; ESMO Advanced Course on Biomarkers for Precision Cancer Medicine; ESMO Oncology Examination Certificate; JCO Reviewer Mentorship Certificate

Memberships / Affiliations

• American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)
• European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO)
• UK Society of Medical Oncology (UKSMO)
• UK Breast Cancer Group (UKBCG)
• Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC)
• African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC)
• UK & Ireland Global Cancer Network — active member
• European Cancer Organisation Inequalities Network — member
• Breast Cancer Now Inequalities Funding Committee — member
• London Global Cancer Week — Co-Convenor and Steering Committee
• Women For Oncology UK — Steering Committee
• Make 2nds Count — Trustee
• British Nigerian Oncology Group — Trustee
• CupArise — Trustee
• Cancer Conversations CIC — Co-Founder

Areas of Specialization

• Medical oncology — breast cancer (all subtypes)
• Breast cancer clinical trials leadership (academic and commercial)
• Male breast cancer
• Triple-negative breast cancer and immunotherapy
• HR+/HER2– breast cancer and CDK 4/6 inhibitors
• HER2-positive advanced breast cancer
• Sarcoma and soft-tissue tumor immunotherapy
• Drug development and early-phase clinical trials
• Geriatric oncology and cancer in older adults
• Tumor biomarkers and translational research
• Health equity and cancer inequalities in Black and ethnic minority communities
• Global oncology and cancer care in LMICs
• Artificial intelligence in oncology MDT decision-making

Publications

Dr. Ayodele has authored and co-authored publications in Clinical Cancer Research, Clinical Oncology, Journal of Clinical Oncology, Annals of Oncology, ESMO Open, ESMO Real World Data and Digital Oncology, Frontiers in Oncology, Current Oncology, Journal of Geriatric Oncology, Journal of Cancer Policy, JCO Global Oncology, Pan African Medical Journal, Pharmaceuticals, The Breast, and The Oncologist, among others.

Select Recent Publications:

Waterhouse JV, Holdich A, Mina F, Obeid M, Joshi K, Barrett S, Ayodele O, et al. “Safety and Efficacy of Atezolizumab in Combination With nab-Paclitaxel in Patients With PD-L1 Positive Metastatic or Locally Advanced Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: A UK-Wide Study.” Clinical Oncology 49:103968, 2026.

Baraka B, Ghose A, Abdallah H, Maniam A, Owoseni Y, Konstantis A, Ayodele O, et al. “The CONCISE Study: A Pan-UK Real-World Audit of Adjuvant Abemaciclib Use in High-Risk Early Breast Cancer.” Clinical Cancer Research 32(4_Supplement):PS3-07-12, 2026.

Ghose A, Abdallah H, Owoseni Y, Maniam A, Baraka B, Horne S, Nazir A, Ayodele O, et al. “Adjuvant Abemaciclib in Male Breast Cancer: A UK Multicentre Case Series from the CONCISE Study.” Clinical Cancer Research 32(4_Supplement):PS3-09-13, 2026.

Abdallah H, Ayodele O, Ghose A, Owoseni Y, Maniam A, Baraka B, et al. “Tolerability of Adjuvant Abemaciclib in Older Adults with High-Risk Early Breast Cancer: Multicentre UK Real-World Data from the CONCISE Study.” Clinical Cancer Research 32(4_Supplement):PS2-02-12, 2026.

McKeon J, Daniels E, Halstead A, Machado C, Potter S, Strawson-Smith T, Ayodele O, et al. “UK real-world evidence on pembrolizumab and neoadjuvant chemotherapy for early-stage triple-negative breast cancer.” ESMO Real World Data and Digital Oncology 11:100664, 2026.

Rebuzzi SE, Ghose A, Rudman S, Venugopal B, Young K, Frazer RD, Ayodele O, et al. “Refining Prognosis in Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma: International Real-World Validation of the Meet-URO Score in First-Line Immunotherapy Combinations.” The Oncologist, 2026.

Sabit H, Sobhy S, Abdel-Ghany S, Wadan AHS, Ayodele O, et al. “The Role of Non-Coding Regions in Breast Cancer: From Gene Regulation to Therapeutic Implications.” Pharmaceuticals 18(9):1370, 2025.

Abdallah H, Baraka B, Attia M, Elhofy A, Syeda T, Ahmed S, Aladili Z, Ayodele O, et al. “Neoadjuvant immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy in triple negative breast cancer: a UK real world experience from three centres.” Clinical Cancer Research 31(12):P50924, 2025.

Ayodele O, Wang BX, Hernando-Calvo A, Bruce J, et al. “A Phase II, Open-Label, Randomized Trial of Durvalumab With Olaparib or Cediranib in Patients With Mismatch Repair-Proficient Colorectal or Pancreatic Cancer.” Clinical Colorectal Cancer 23(3):272–284.e9, 2024.

Abdallah HMA, Owoseni YI, Sultan A, Ahmed S, Wood J, Varadhan B, Ayodele O, et al. “Real-world experience with CDK4/6 inhibitors for HR+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer.” Annals of Oncology 34:S369–S370, 2023.

Salawu A, Wang BX, Han M, Geady C, Heirali A, Berman HK, Pfister TD, Ayodele O, et al. “Safety, Immunologic, and Clinical Activity of Durvalumab in Combination with Olaparib or Cediranib in Advanced Leiomyosarcoma: Results of the DAPPER Clinical Trial.” Clinical Cancer Research 29(20):4128–4138, 2023.

Cazzaniga ME, Ciaccio A, Danesi R, Duhoux FP, Girmenia C, Zaman K, Ayodele O, et al. “Late onset toxicities associated with the use of CDK 4/6 inhibitors in hormone receptor positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer.” Frontiers in Oncology 13:1247270, 2023.

Ayodele O. “A world beyond borders: rethinking global oncology in 2024.” J Global Med 4:e143, 2024.

Ganatra H, Tan JK, Simmons A, Bigogno CM, Khurana V, Ghose A, Ayodele O, et al. “Applying whole-genome and whole-exome sequencing in breast cancer: A review of the landscape.” Breast Cancer 31(6):999–1009, 2024.

Umemneku-Chikere CM, Ayodele O, Soares M, Khan S, Abrams K, et al. “Comparative review of pharmacological therapies in individuals with HER2-positive advanced breast cancer with focus on hormone receptor subgroups.” Frontiers in Oncology 12:943154, 2022.

Ayodele O, Razak ARA. “Immunotherapy in soft-tissue sarcoma.” Current Oncology 27(Suppl 1):17, 2020. 126 citations.

Ayodele O, Akhtar M, Konenko A, Keegan N, Calacsan F, Duggan L, et al. “Comparing attitudes of younger and older patients towards cancer clinical trials.” Journal of Geriatric Oncology 7(3):162–168, 2016. 31 citations.

All information is sourced from publicly available materials.