Dr Thomas Papathomas M.D., Ph.D., FRCPath

Dr Thomas Papathomas

Department of Metabolism and Systems Science
Honorary Senior Lecturer

Contact details

Telephone
+44 (0)121 415 8586
Email
t.papathomas@bham.ac.uk
Address
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Thomas’ research focuses on molecular pathology and aims to define in-situ metabolomic signatures for diagnostic classification and prognostic evaluation in diverse human tumour types.

Qualifications

  • FRCPath, Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists, 2017
  • Ph.D. in Endocrine Pathology, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 2016
  • M.D., Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, 2004

Biography

Thomas Papathomas qualified in Medicine from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece in 2004. He trained as a pathologist at the National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, the Hippokration General Hospital of Thessaloniki and the King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London. In 2011, he relocated to Rotterdam, the Netherlands and joined the Department of Clinical Pathology as a PhD Candidate at the Erasmus MC Cancer Institute. Under the supervision and mentorship of Professor Ronald de Krijger and Dr Winand Dinjens, he investigated various histopathologic and molecular genetic aspects of tumours originating from the adrenal gland and extra-adrenal paraganglia.

Prior to obtaining a Ph.D. in Endocrine Pathology from the Erasmus University Rotterdam in 2016, he received the Endocrine Pathology Society Hubert Wolfe Award 2014 and participated as a co-author in the 4th edition of WHO Classification of Tumours of Endocrine Organs. Following the grant of the Fellowship of the Royal College of Pathologists and the specialty of Anatomic Pathology in 2017, he joined the University of Birmingham as a Clinician Scientist in Molecular Pathology at the Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research (IMSR) to continue research in the field of molecular pathology.

Research

Thomas’ research interests are centred on histopathologic, molecular genetic and metabolic aspects of human tumourigenesis. He has elucidated the succinate dehydrogenase-related genetic and tumour spectrum; documented novel tumourigenic mechanisms in neoplasms originating from the adrenal gland and extra-adrenal paraganglia; investigated and refined pathology concepts in molecular genetic testing of pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas; and developed, in collaboration with the Department of Bioinformatics (Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands), a digital pathology application in determining prognosis in adrenocortical cancer. He is currently interested in in-situ metabolomic profiling of various and diverse human tumour types.

Other activities

Expert panel member for the International Collaboration on Cancer Reporting (ICCR) initiative for the harmonisation of cancer reporting datasets of Adrenal Cortical Carcinoma and Phaeochromocytoma/Paraganglioma

Expert panel member for the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Publication: WHO Classification of Tumours of Endocrine Organs, 4th edition (2017)

Honorary Consultant Histopathologist University Hospitals Birmingham

 Society memberships

  • The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland 
  •  The Royal College of Pathologists 
  •  The United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology 
  •  The European Society of Pathology 
  •  The UK Endocrine Pathology Society 
  •  The European Network for the Study of Adrenal Tumors 
  • The Society for Endocrinology
  • The British Society for Genetic Medicine/ Cancer Genetics Group 
  • British Mass Spectrometry Society/ MALDI & Imaging Group

Publications

Evenepoel L, van Nederveen FH, Oudijk L, Papathomas T.G, Restuccia DF, Belt E.J.T, de Herder W.W, Feelders R.A, Franssen G.J.H, Hamoir M, Maiter D, Perren A, Timmers H.J.L.M, van Eeden S, Vroonen L, Aydin S, Robledo M, Vikkula M, de Krijger R.R, Dinjens W.N.M, Persu A and Korpershoek E (2018) Expression of Contactin 4 is associated with malignant behavior in pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 103(1):46-55

Casey R.T, Ascher D.B, Rattenberry E, Izatt L, Andrews K.A, Simpson H.L, Challis B, Bulusu V.R, Lalloo F, Pires D.E.V, West H, Clark G.R, Smith P.S, Whitworth J, Papathomas T.G, Taniere P, Wallis Y, Savisaar R, Hurst L.D, Woodward E.R and Maher E.R (2017)​ SDHA related tumorigenesis: a new case series and literature review for variant interpretation and pathogenicity. Molecular Genetics & Genomic Medicine 5(3):237-250

Oudijk L, Papathomas T.G, de Krijger R, Gimenez-Roqueplo A.P, Favier J, Canu L, Mannelli M, Rapa I, Currás-Freixes M, Robledo M, Smid M, Papotti M and Volante M (2017) mTORC1 complex is significantly over-activated in SDHx-mutated paragangliomas. Neuroendocrinology 105(4):384-393

Jouinot A, Assié G, Libe R, Fassnacht M, Papathomas T.G,  Barreau O, de la Villeon B, Faillot S, Hamzaoui N, Neou M, Perlemoine K, Rene-Corail F, Rodriguez S, Sibony M, Tissier F, Sbiera S, Ronchi C, Kroiss M, Korpershoek E, de Krijger R, Waldmann J, Quinkler M, Haissaguerre M, Tabarin A, Chabre O, Sturm N, Luconi M, Mantero F, Mannelli M, Cohen R, Kerlan V, Touraine P, Barrande G, Groussin L, Bertagna X, Baudin E, Amar L, Beuschlein F, Clauser E, Coste J and Bertherat J; for the European Network for the Study of Adrenal Tumors (2017) DNA methylation is an independent prognostic marker of survival in adrenocortical cancer. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 102(3):923-932

Papathomas T.G, Duregon E, Korpershoek E, Restuccia D.F, van Marion R, Cappellesso R, Sturm N, Rossi G, Coli A, Zucchini N, Stoop H, Oosterhuis W, Ventura L, Volante M, Fassina A, Dinjens W.N.M, Papotti M and de Krijger R.R (2016) Sarcomatoid Adrenocortical Carcinoma: A Comprehensive Pathological, Immunohistochemical and Targeted Next-Generation Sequencing Analysis. Human Pathology 58:113-122

Creemers S.G, van Koetsveld P.M, van Kemenade F.J, Papathomas T.G, Franssen G.J.H, Dogan F, Eekhoff E.M, van der Valk P, de Herder W.W, Janssen J.A, Feelders R.A and Hofland L.J (2016) Methylation of IGF2 regulatory regions to diagnose adrenocortical carcinomas. Endocrine-Related Cancer 23(9):727-37

Papathomas T.G, Pucci E, Giordano T.J, Lu H, Duregon E, Volante M, Papotti M, Lloyd R.V, Tischler A.S, van Nederveen F.H, Nose V, Erickson L, Mete O, Asa S.L, Turchini J, Gill A.J, Matias-Guiu X, Skordilis K, Stephenson T.J, Tissier F, Feelders R.A, Smid M, Nigg A, Korpershoek E, van der Spek P.J, Dinjens W.N.M, Stubbs A.P and de Krijger R.R (2016) An International Ki67 Reproducibility Study in Adrenal Cortical Carcinoma. The American Journal of Surgical Pathology 40(4):569-76

Korpershoek E, Koffy D, Eussen BH, Oudijk L, Papathomas T.G, van Nederveen F.H, Belt E..JT, Franssen G.J.H, Restuccia D.F.J, Krol N.M.G, van der Luijt R.B, Feelders R.A, Oldenburg R.A, van IJcken W.F.J, de Klein A, de Herder W.W, de Krijger R and Dinjens W.N.M (2016) Complex MAX rearrangement in a family with malignant pheochromocytoma, renal oncocytoma and erythrocytosis. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 101(2):453-60

Niemeijer N.D, Papathomas T.G, Korpershoek E, de Krijger R.R, Oudijk L, Morreau H, Bayley J.P, Hes F.J, Jansen J.C, Dinjens W.N.M and Corssmit E.P.M (2015) Succinate Dehydrogenase (SDH)-Deficient Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor Expands the SDH-Related Tumor Spectrum. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 100(10):E1386-1393

Oudijk L, Neuhofer C, Lichtenauer U.D, Papathomas T.G, Korpershoek E, Stoop H, Oosterhuis J.W, Smid M, Restuccia D.F, de Cubas A, Robledo M, Mannelli M, Gimenez-Roqueplo A.P, Dinjens W.N.M, Beuschlein F and de Krijger R.R (2015) Immunohistochemical Expression of Stem Cell Markers in Pheochromocytoma/Paraganglioma is Associated with SDHx-mutations. European Journal of Endocrinology 173(1):43-52

For a full list of Dr Papathomas's publications