Specialty: Respiratory Consultant with a practice centred on lung cancer, lung nodules, lung cancer screening and non-invasive ventilation
Conditions seen: lung cancer, lung nodules, respiratory tract infection, chest infection, sleep apnoea, breathlessness, cough and chronic cough, COVID and post-COVID syndromes, respiratory failure, general respiratory disease
Tests, treatments and procedures: lung cancer screening, bronchoscopy, endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS), lung function testing, spirometry, bronchial provocation tests, chest X-ray, BioFire rapid respiratory infection testing, sleep studies, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, non-invasive ventilation
Often consulted by patients with: a lung nodule or abnormality found on a CT scan, a persistent or chronic cough, breathlessness, a suspected or confirmed lung cancer diagnosis, or an interest in lung cancer screening
Patient ages seen: 18+
Also: Deputy Medical Director of the RMPartners West London Cancer Alliance; led the lung cancer service at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust for 7 years; set up and ran the lung nodule service at Imperial; honorary clinical lecturer at Imperial College London
Language: English
Dr Susannah Bloch is a Respiratory Consultant at Welbeck’s Lung Health centre in London, with particular expertise in the diagnosis and management of lung cancer, lung nodules and lung cancer screening. Lung nodules are small abnormalities that are often discovered incidentally on a CT scan, and Dr Bloch has extensive experience in assessing these and other abnormalities found on chest imaging.
Dr Bloch is responsible for the whole pathway for lung cancer, from before a diagnosis is made, through to the diagnosis itself, and on to referral for treatment, working closely with thoracic and oncology teams. Her approach centres on rapid access to diagnostics: appointments can usually be arranged within the same week, often within a day or two, and she often arranges the next tests, such as a CT scan, before the consultation so the results can be discussed when she sees the patient.
This enables prompt reassurance and discharge for patients who turn out not to have lung cancer, and she also sees patients for a second opinion on a lung nodule or a lung cancer diagnosis made elsewhere.
Alongside her specialist cancer work, Dr Bloch runs a general respiratory clinic and sees patients with a wide range of respiratory symptoms and conditions, including breathlessness, chronic cough, chest and respiratory tract infections, sleep apnoea, respiratory failure, and COVID and post-COVID syndromes. Investigations available through her practice include lung function testing and spirometry, chest X-ray, bronchoscopy, endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS), which uses an ultrasound probe on a flexible tube passed into the airways, and BioFire rapid respiratory infection testing. She also has many years’ experience caring for seriously unwell respiratory patients in high dependency care, including the use of non-invasive ventilation and tracheostomy care, and the management of obesity hypoventilation and obstructive sleep apnoea with non-invasive ventilation and CPAP.
For sleep and breathing disorders, she arranges sleep studies, from a home screening test to a more detailed study where the diagnosis may be more complicated, and starts and supervises CPAP therapy and non-invasive ventilation for private patients, including setting up the equipment and following up afterwards.
In her NHS practice, Dr Bloch is based at St Mary’s Hospital, part of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, where she led the lung cancer service for seven years. She manages patients throughout the lung cancer pathway, from pre-diagnosis and diagnostic investigation through to referral for treatment, working closely with thoracic and oncology teams and the wider multidisciplinary team. She aims to provide rapid access to diagnostics and support throughout this process, including timely reassurance and discharge for patients who are found not to have lung cancer.
Dr Bloch established and ran the lung nodule service at Imperial for many years and used this experience to support other hospitals across west London in developing their own services. She has recently been appointed Deputy Medical Director of the RMPartners West London Cancer Alliance, with responsibility for the management of cancer patients and provision of cancer care across west London. She also sits on the clinical oversight board for the West London lung cancer screening programme and is an honorary clinical lecturer at Imperial College London.
Dr Susannah Bloch trained at St Mary’s Hospital, Imperial College School of Medicine in London. She has completed an MSc in respiratory medicine and a PhD at the Royal Brompton Hospital, focusing on muscle wasting following critical illness.
Qualifications:
MSc (Respiratory Medicine)
PhD (Post-critical-illness muscle wasting
Dr Bloch’s current research interests focus on lung cancer and lung nodules. Her wider published research spans muscle wasting following critical illness and cardiothoracic surgery, tuberculosis, and quality improvement in non-invasive ventilation (NIV). Her work in this area includes involvement in the development of a British Thoracic Society quality improvement tool for NIV.
Dr Bloch is also an honorary clinical lecturer at Imperial College London.
Key publications:
Transcutaneous CO2 measurement is not a reliable alternative to arterial blood gas sampling in the acute medical setting. Eur Respir J. 2019;53(4):1801726. DOI: 10.1183/13993003.01726-2018
miR-424-5p reduces ribosomal RNA and protein synthesis in muscle wasting. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. 2018;9(2):400–416. DOI: 10.1002/jcsm.12266
MicroRNA-542 promotes mitochondrial dysfunction and SMAD activity and is elevated in intensive care unit-acquired weakness. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2017;196(11):1422–1433. DOI: 10.1164/rccm.201701-0101OC
Growth differentiation factor-15 is associated with muscle mass in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and promotes muscle wasting in vivo. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. 2016;7(4):436–448. DOI: 10.1002/jcsm.12096
MiR-181a: a potential biomarker of acute muscle wasting following elective high-risk cardiothoracic surgery. Crit Care. 2015;19:147. DOI: 10.1186/s13054-015-0853-5
Increased expression of GDF-15 may mediate ICU-acquired weakness by down-regulating muscle microRNAs. Thorax. 2015;70(3):219–228. DOI: 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2014-206225
Sustained elevation of circulating GDF-15 and a dynamic imbalance in mediators of muscle homeostasis are associated with the development of acute muscle wasting following cardiac surgery. Crit Care Med. 2013;41(4):982–989. DOI: 10.1097/CCM.0b013e318274671b
Molecular mechanisms of intensive care unit-acquired weakness. Eur Respir J. 2012;39(4):1000–1011. DOI: 10.1183/09031936.00090011
Quadriceps wasting and physical inactivity in patients with COPD. Eur Respir J. 2012;40(5):1115–1122. DOI: 10.1183/09031936.00170111
Programmed death ligand 1 is over-expressed by neutrophils in the blood of patients with active tuberculosis. Eur J Immunol. 2011;41(7):1941–1947. DOI: 10.1002/eji.201141421
An interferon-inducible neutrophil-driven blood transcriptional signature in human tuberculosis. Nature. 2010;466(7309):973–977. DOI: 10.1038/nature09247
British Thoracic Society
European Respiratory Society
Medical Defence Union
Member of the Royal Marsden Partners Lung Pathway Group
General Medical Council
MBBS (Hons)
BSc
MSc (Respiratory Medicine)
PhD (post critical illness muscle wasting, Royal Brompton Hospital)
FRCP
CCT in Respiratory Medicine
Appointments are available at 1 Welbeck Street, London W1G 0AR.
Enquire online or call 020 3653 2006.
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Symptoms such as breathlessness, a persistent or chronic cough, or recurrent chest or respiratory tract infections may benefit from specialist assessment, particularly if they are ongoing, unexplained or affecting everyday life. These symptoms can have many possible causes, so a respiratory consultation can help establish what may be causing them and whether tests such as lung function testing or chest imaging would be helpful.
Dr Bloch’s offers a range of tests to investigate breathing problems and other respiratory symptoms. These include lung function testing and spirometry, bronchial provocation testing, chest X-ray, bronchoscopy, endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) and BioFire rapid respiratory infection testing, as well as lung cancer screening. Dr Bloch will tailor the investigations to your individual symptoms, medical history and clinical findings, so you only have the tests that are appropriate for you.
Lung nodules are small abnormalities in the lung that are often found incidentally on a CT scan carried out for another reason. If a lung nodule is found, the next step is to assess its appearance alongside your individual circumstances to determine whether any further investigation or monitoring is needed.
Dr Bloch has extensive experience in interpreting and managing lung nodules and other abnormalities seen on CT scans, having established and run the lung nodule service at Imperial for many years.
She is also happy to see patients who would like a second opinion on a nodule found elsewhere.
Yes. Dr Bloch is experienced in managing sleep apnoea and obesity hypoventilation. A range of treatments is available depending on the underlying problem and individual needs, including continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and other forms of non-invasive ventilation. Dr Bloch will recommend the most appropriate approach following assessment.
Yes. Dr Bloch can assess and investigate suspected lung cancer at Welbeck, with access to a range of diagnostic tests and support throughout the process. If lung cancer is diagnosed, she can explain the findings and help coordinate referral to the appropriate thoracic or oncology team, and wider multidisciplinary team for treatment.
If you have a suspicious finding, an appointment can usually be arranged within the same week, and often within a day or two. Dr Bloch's focuses on rapid access to diagnostics and clear support. She often arranges the next tests, such as a CT scan, before your consultation so that the results are available when she sees you.
She also sees patients for a second opinion on a lung cancer diagnosis made elsewhere, and offers prompt reassurance and discharge for patients who turn out not to have lung cancer.
Dr Bloch has extensive experience managing patients throughout this pathway. She led the lung cancer service at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust for seven years and is now Deputy Medical Director of the RM Partners West London Cancer Alliance.
