Professor Shireen Kassam

Biography

Shireen Kassam MBBS, FRCPath, PhD is Visiting Professor in the University's Faculty of Health and Wellbeing. She is also a Consultant Haematologist and Honorary Senior Lecturer at King’s College Hospital, London with a specialist interest in the treatment of patients with lymphoma. Shireen's role at the University is to deliver high-quality evidence-based education in the field of plant-based nutrition. She has developed and facilitates the UK’s only University-based CPD-accredited course on plant-based nutrition for healthcare professionals.

Shireen is passionate about promoting plant-based nutrition for the prevention and reversal of chronic diseases and for maintaining optimal health after treatment for cancer. She qualified as a medical doctor in 2000, initially training in general medicine, and gaining Membership of the Royal College of Physicians (MRCP; 2003). She then specialised in Haematology and achieved Fellowship of the Royal College of Pathologists (FRCPath; 2008). During training, she took time out to undertake a PhD (University of London, 2011). Her research investigated the role of selenium, an essential micronutrient, in sensitising cancer cells to chemotherapy. She was able to show that supra-nutritional doses of selenium could enhance the action of chemotherapy in the laboratory. She has published a number of peer-reviewed papers in the field of lymphoma.

Shireen discovered the power of nutrition for the prevention and treatment of disease in 2013 and since then has been following a whole food plant-based diet. She has immersed herself in the science of nutrition and health and completed the eCornell certification in plant-based nutrition. In 2019 she became certified as a Lifestyle Medicine Physician by the International Board of Lifestyle Medicine. She is also a certified CHIP (Complete Health Improvement Program) practitioner.

Shireen founded the community interest company Plant-Based Health Professionals UK in 2017 to bring evidence-based education on plant-based nutrition to the UK. In January 2021, Shireen co-founded and launched the UK’s first CQC-registered, online, multi-disciplinary, plant-based lifestyle medicine healthcare service, Plant Based Health Online. 

Areas of expertise

 Plant-based nutrition

Publications

Journal articles

Shah N, Eyre TA, Tucker D, Kassam S, et al., Front-line management of post-transplantation lymphoproliferative disorder in adult solid organ recipient patients - A British Society for Haematology Guideline. , Br J Haematol. 2021 May;193(4):727-740. doi: 10.1111/bjh.17421. Epub 2021 Apr 20.

Bruno Fattizzo, Robin Ireland, Alan Dunlop, Deborah Yallop, Shireen Kassam et al., Clinical and prognostic significance of small paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria clones in myelodysplastic syndrome and aplastic anemia.  Leukaemia 2021 Mar 4. doi: 10.1038/s41375-021-01190-9.

Kassam S, Dehghan L, Freeman L. How to help patients transition to a healthy and sustainable plant-based diet. Br J Gen Pract. 2021 Feb 25;71(704):127. doi: 10.3399/bjgp21X715121. PMID: 33632689.

Lewandowska, M, Dunbar, K and Kassam, S. Managing Psoriatic Arthritis With a Whole Food Plant-Based Diet: A Case Study. First Published February 12, 2021 

Outcomes of older patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma treated in routine clinical practice in the UK: methotrexate dose intensity correlates with response and survival: Real-World Outcomes of Older PCNSL Patients. Martinez Calle, Nicolas & Poynton, Edward & Alchawaf, Alia & Kassam, Shireen et al. (2020). British Journal of Haematology. 10.1111/bjh.16592.

Lewandowska, M., Aune, D., Bristor, D., & Kassam, S. (2019) Does Diet Impact the Risk of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma? International Journal of Disease Reversal and Prevention, 1(1), 6 pp.

Manogaran, C., Kassam, S. (2018) HHV8-associated lymphoproliferative disorder in the peripheral blood. Blood. Jun 21;131(25):2868. doi: 10.1182/blood-2018-04-837823. No abstract available. 

Fararjeh, F.A., Mahmood, S., Tachtatzis, P., Yallop, D., Devereux, S., Patten, P., Agrawal, K., Suddle, A., O'Grady, J., Heaton, N., Marcus, R., Kassam, S. (2018) A retrospective analysis of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder following liver transplantation. Eur J Haematol. Jan;100(1):98-103. doi: 10.1111/ejh.12988. Epub 2017 Dec 4.

Kassam, S., Chernucha, E., O'Neill, A., Hemmaway, C., Cummins, T., Montoto, S., Lennard, A., Adams. G., Linton, K., McKay, P., Davies, D., Rowntree, C., Easdale, S., Eyre, T.A., Marcus, R., Cwynarski, K., Fox, C.P. (2017) High-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation for primary central nervous system lymphoma: a multi-centre retrospective analysis from the United Kingdom. Bone Marrow Transplant. Sep;52(9):1268-1272. doi: 10.1038/bmt.2017.101. Epub 2017 Jun 5.

Vidler, J., Rogers, C., Yallop, D., Devereux, S., Wellving, E., Stewart, O., Cox, A., Hunt, K.F., Kassam, S. (2017) Outpatient management of steroid-induced hyperglycaemia and steroid-induced diabetes in people with lymphoproliferative disorders treated with intermittent high dose steroids. J Clin Transl Endocrinol. Jun 24;9:18-20. doi: 10.1016/j.jcte.2017.06.003. eCollection 2017 Sep.

Eyre, T.A., Phillips, E.H., Linton, K.M., Arumainathan, A., Kassam, S., Gibb, A., Allibone, S., Radford, J., Peggs, K., Burton, C., Stewart, G., LeDieu, R., Booth, C., Osborne, W.L., Miall, F., Eyre, D.W., Ardeshna, K.M., Collins, G.P. (2017) Results of a multicentre UK-wide retrospective study evaluating the efficacy of brentuximab vedotin in relapsed, refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma in the transplant naive setting. Br J Haematol. 2017 Nov;179(3):471-479. doi: 10.1111/bjh.14898. Epub 2017 Aug 31. Erratum in: Br J Haematol. 2018 Jan;180(2):309. 

Eyre, T.A., Osborne, W.L., Gallop-Evans, E., Ardeshna, K.M., Kassam, S., Sadullah, S., Sidra, G., Culligan, D., Arumainathan, A., Shankara, P., Bowles, K.M., Eyre, D.W., Peng, Y.Y., Pettengell, R., Bloor, A., Vandenberghe, E., Collins, G.P.  (2018) Results of a multicentre UK-wide compassionate use programme evaluating the efficacy of idelalisib monotherapy in relapsed, refractory follicular lymphoma. Br J Haematol. May;181(4):555-559. doi: 10.1111/bjh.14665. Epub 2017 Mar 24. No abstract available. 

Dhanapal, V., Gunasekara, M., Lianwea, C., Marcus, R., De Lord, C., Bowcock, S., Devereux, S., Patten, P., Yallop, D., Wrench, D., Fields, P., Kassam, S. (2017) Outcome for patients with relapsed/refractory aggressive lymphoma treated with gemcitabine and oxaliplatin with or without rituximab; a retrospective, multicentre study. Leuk Lymphoma. Sep;58(9):1-9. doi: 10.1080/10428194.2016.1276288. Epub 2017 Jan 16.

Kassam, S., Shah, C. (2016) Amelanotic melanoma in the bone marrow. Blood. Jul 14;128(2):313. doi: 10.1182/blood-2016-03-702043. No abstract available. 

Mehra, V., Pomplum, S., Ireland, R., Yallop, D., Devereux, S., Marcus, R., Shah, C., Patten, P., Kassam, S. (2016) ALK-positive large B-cell lymphoma with strong CD30 expression; a diagnostic pitfall and resistance to brentuximab and crizotinib. Histopathology. Nov;69(5):880-882. doi: 10.1111/his.13002. Epub 2016 Jul 19. No abstract available. 

Nathan, B., Roomallah, B., Salisbury, J.R., Tenant-Flowers, M., Kassam, S. (2016) A rare cause of lymphadenopathy - Rosai-Dorfman disease in a HIV-positive Ugandan woman. Int J STD AIDS. Oct;27(12):1123-1125. Epub 2016 Jan 11.

Alwan, F., He, A., Montoto, S., Kassam, S., Mee, M., Burns, F., Edwards, S., Wilson, A., Tenant-Flowers, M., Marcus, R., Ardeshna, K.M., Bower, M., Cwynarski, K. (2015) Adding rituximab to CODOX-M/IVAC chemotherapy in the treatment of HIV-associated Burkitt lymphoma is safe when used with concurrent combination antiretroviral therapy. AIDS. May 15;29(8):903-10. doi: 10.1097/QAD.0000000000000623.

Bower, M., Palfreeman, A., Alfa-Wali, M., Bunker, C., Burns, F., Churchill, D., Collins, S., Cwynarski, K., Edwards, S., Fields, P., Fife, K., Gallop-Evans, E., Kassam, S., Kulasegaram, R., Lacey, C., Marcus, R., Montoto, S., Nelson, M., Newsom-Davis, T., Orkin, C., Shaw, K., Tenant-Flowers, M., Webb, A., Westwell, S., Williams, M.; (2014) British HIV Association guidelines for HIV-associated malignancies 2014. British HIV Association. HIV Med. Mar;15 Suppl 2:1-92. doi: 10.1111/hiv.12136. No abstract available. 

Kassam, S., Bower, M., Lee, S.M., de Vos, J., Fields, P., Gandhi, S., Nelson, M., Montoto, S., Tenant-Flowers, M., Burns, F., Marcus, R., Edwards, S.G., Cwynarski, K. (2013) A retrospective, multi-center analysis of treatment intensification for human immunodeficiency virus-positive patients with high-risk diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Leuk Lymphoma. Sep;54(9):1921-7. doi:10.3109/10428194.2012.754024. Epub

Kassam, S., Juliger, S., Jia, L., Joel, SP.. (2012) Methylseleninic acid antagonizes the cytotoxic effect of bortezomib in mantle cell lymphoma cell lines through modulation of Bcl-2 family proteins. Br J Haematol. Jan;156(2):286-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2141.2011.08861.x. Epub 2011 Sep 13. No abstract available. 

Stevens, J., Waters, R., Sieniawska, C., Kassam, S., Montoto, S., Fitzgibbon, J., Rohatiner, A., Lister, A., Joel, S. (2011) Serum selenium concentration at diagnosis and outcome in patients with haematological malignancies. Br J Haematol. Aug;154(4):448-56. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2141.2011.08744.x. Epub 2011 Jul 20.

Kassam, S., Goenaga-Infante, H., Maharaj, L., Hiley, CT., Juliger, S., Joel, SP. (2011) Methylseleninic acid inhibits HDAC activity in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma cell lines. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol. Sep;68(3):815-21. doi: 10.1007/s00280-011-1649-1. Epub 2011 Apr 26.

Goenaga-Infante, H., Kassam, S., Stokes, E., Hopley, C., Joel, S.P. (2011) Capabilities of HPLC with APEX-Q nebulisation ICP-MS and ESI MS/MS to compare selenium uptake and speciation of non-malignant with different B cell lymphoma lines. Anal Bioanal Chem. Feb;399(5):1789-97. doi: 10.1007/s00216-010-4474-1. Epub 2010 Dec 8.

Kassam, S., Montoto, S. (2008) Oncologic, endocrine & metabolic emerging drugs in B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Expert Opin Emerg Drugs. Jun;13(2):323-43. doi: 10.1517/14728214.13.2.323

Kassam, S., Rice, A., Morilla, R., Bain, B.J. (2007) Case 35: an unusual haematological neoplasm characterized by cells with cytoplasmic tails. Leuk Lymphoma. Jun;48(6):1208-10.

Books

Kassam, S. and Kassam, Z. (2022) Eating Plant-Based, Scientific Answers to Your Nutrition Questions. Hammersmith Health Books

Kassam, S. and Kassam, Z., Simon, L. (Eds) (2022) Plant-Based Nutrition in Clinical Practice. Hammersmith Health Books

Book chapters

Healthy diets as a guide to responsible food systems. In: Amir Kassam and Laila Kassam (eds) Rethinking Food and Agriculture, UK: Shireen Kassam, David Jenkins, Doug Bristor, Zahra Kassam. Woodhead Publishing, 2021, pp. 323-352 ISBN: 978-0-12-816410-5

Kassam, S., Bain, B.J. (2008) Haematological Changes in Liver Diseases, in M. AL-Mahtab and S. Rahman (eds) LIVER: A Complete Book on Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Diseases, First Edition, Elsevier.