Diana Eccles

Diana Eccles, MD, PhD, FRCP is Professor of Cancer Genetics at the University of Southampton and Director of the Wessex Clinical Genetics Service, and one of Europe's leading authorities on hereditary breast cancer, germline multi-gene panel testing, and the genetics of male breast cancer. She has made pivotal contributions to the understanding of BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2, and other moderate-penetrance genes in familial breast cancer risk, and leads the Breast Cancer Now Familial Breast Cancer Research Programme. Professor Eccles is a recognized world expert on male breast cancer—a rare and understudied disease—having contributed to the largest genomic studies of male breast cancer to date through the EMBRACE study consortium and international male breast cancer consortia. Her work has demonstrated that male breast cancers harbor distinct genomic and clinical characteristics from female breast cancer, including a higher prevalence of BRCA2 mutations, and that treatment approaches developed predominantly for women may require modification for male patients. She co-developed the Mainstreaming Cancer Genetics Programme (MCG), which integrates germline BRCA testing into routine oncology care pathways outside traditional genetics clinics, dramatically expanding access to genetic testing across the NHS. Professor Eccles has published over 250 peer-reviewed articles, served as co-chief investigator for multiple UK research programmes, and is a prominent advocate for equitable access to genetic testing and prevention services in the UK and internationally.