Medical Qualifications 

Dr Adeola Olaitan qualified at University College London Hospital in 1987 before going on to be awarded a Medical Doctorate from the same university. She undertook further training in general obstetrics and gynaecology followed by a sub-specialty Fellowship in Gynaecological Oncology at St Michael’s Hospital, Bristol. Dr Olaitan is a Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

Medical Experience

Dr Olaitan was appointed a Consultant at the University College London Hospital (UCLH) in 2002 and is currently clinical lead of the Gynaecological Cancer Centre. She sees patients privately at The Harley Street Clinic, London and at The Portland Hospital, London as a gynaecological oncologist and as a general gynaecologist.

She is a member of the British Gynaecological Cancer Society and the International Gynaecological Cancer Society. Dr Olaitan is also Medical Expert for Eve Appeal Cancer Charity and Jo's Trust Cervical Cancer Charity as well as being the Media Spokesperson for NHS Cervical Screening Programme for which she has appeared on BBC London News, Radio 4 Woman's Hour, ITV, Cosmopolitan magazine and Top Sante magazine. She is presently an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University College London Hospital and has written over 30 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters.

Dr Olaitan is accredited in colposcopy of the cervix for patients with abnormal smear results and has a particular interest in patients with cervical cancer, endometrial (womb) cancer, ovarian cancer and vulval cancer. She is a specialist in minimally invasive surgery and in maintaining quality of life in patients following cancer treatment.

In practice at

The Harley Street Clinic
Private

Specialisms

Treatment options

Diagnostic tests

Languages spoken:

English

Articles written by Dr Adeola Olaitan

Why the cervical cancer screening age does not need to be lowered

Recently, a campaign led by MPs Mark Spencer and Andrew George, has called for the screening age for cervical cancer to be lowered. This was prompted by the sad case of a young lady who died from cervical cancer under the age of 25. While the fear and concern that this has raised is understandable, it is important for young women to understand the facts behind the decision to start screening at 25 years.

An Overview of Gynaecological Cancers

Gynaecological cancers are not common, particularly in the UK. If we add all the gynaecological cancers that occur each year together, they account for less than half of the cases of breast cancer. However, women may be concerned about the possibility of gynaecological cancers because, unlike breast cancer, the gynaecological organs are not easily visible. It is therefore important for women to be aware of the various screening programmes for gynaecological cancers that exist and to also be aware of symptoms so that disease can be detected early when a full cure is usually possible.

The links between diet, obesity and endometrial (womb) cancer – diagnosis and treatment

Endometrial cancer is cancer of the lining of the womb and it is the most common gynaecological cancer in the UK. It is most common in post-menopausal women aged 50 to 60 years, although approximately 7% of cases are in younger women. Endometrial cancer is much more common among women who live in the developing world, particularly Europe and North America compared with women who live in less developed countries. This is likely to be because endometrial cancer is linked to obesity, with obese women three times as likely to get this disease as women who have a body weight in the healthy range. A healthy balanced diet and an active lifestyle can help to reduce the risk of this cancer.

Vaccination against the Human Papilloma Virus

The Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) or Wart Virus as it is more commonly known is a family of viruses that can infect humans. The viruses are divided into sub-types according to their characteristics. There are over 100 subtypes of HPV. Most do not cause significant disease in humans. However, some subtypes, notably types 16 and 18, 31 and 33, have been confirmed as agents which cause cervical cancer. These sub-types, known as 'High risk' HPV (HR HPV), have been found to be present in close to 100% of all cervical cancers. Of the different types of HPV, types 16 and 18 cause about 7 out of 10 (70%) cancers of the cervix. Most of the remaining 30% of cervical cancers are associated with other HR HPV types.

What is the real value of screening for cervical cancer?

Many patients emailed us their questions after reading Adeola Olaitan's article on cervical cancer. Here are just a few of them together with Adeola's responses.

Treatment for Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer is usually treated in a specialist unit by a team of experts, known as a multidisciplinary team. The doctors who specialise in this disease are gynaecological oncologists (surgeons) or clinical oncologists (radiotherapy experts). Other members of the team include a Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS or MacMillan Nurse), and a psychologist who are available to support you and look after your social and psychological needs throughout treatment and beyond. Not all hospitals have this expertise available and you may have to be referred from your local hospital to a designated cancer centre.

Diagnosing Cervical Cancer

The cervix is the lower part of the womb. It is sometimes referred to as the neck of the womb. Cervical cancer, is the second most common cancer in women world-wide, second only to breast cancer and in some developing countries, it is the most common. An estimated half a million women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year, approximately 80% of whom are in the developing world. About 300 thousand women die of this condition every year.