Staff Profile

Honorary Consultant in Orthopaedic Oncology with special interests in the basic science of musculoskeletal oncology, in particular osteosarcoma.

Projects include:

• Evaluation of MT1-MMP as a potential marker for therapeutics and imaging enhancement prior to surgery in sarcoma patients.
• Detection of circulating tumours cells in patients with sarcoma.

Web link: Sarcoma Research Group - Centre for Cancer - Newcastle University (ncl.ac.uk)

Google scholar: Click here.

SCOPUS: Click here.

I am based at the Newcastle University Centre for Cancer and my clinical activity is at the North of England Bone and Soft Tissue Tumour Service.

I am the Chief investigator for a large NIHR sarcoma surgery trial in set up- SarcoSIGHT, £1.41million

The musculoskeletal oncology research focusses evaluation of cell surface proteins and enzymes relevant to sarcoma and exploration of the extra cellular matrix in solid cancers.

Funding for this has been generously provided by 

Cancer Research UK ( Multidisciplinary grant with Dr Daniel Frankel, Chemical engineering, and Dr Ewan St John Smith at Cambridge)

Orthopaedic Research UK

Northern Orthopaedic Research Charity

JGWP Foundation Trust

Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Charity 

Just Say Yes Fund 

Bone Cancer Research Trust

Children with Cancer UK

MRC Confidence in Concept

Mres Module lead for 'Current research trends in musculoskeletal disease' 2015-2018

Co-ordinator of the Northern Deanery postgraduate orthopaedic basic science term, Sept-Dec 2010 and Sept-Dec 2013

Principal supervisor of 14 MRes students 2011- 2021

Principal supervisor of 1 Msc student (2013)

Co-ordinator of the orthopaedic component of the undergraduate foundations of clinical practice (FoCP) programme, Nov-Dec 2011-2017

Principal supervisor of 3 PhD  students (2 complete and 1 in final year)

Principal supervisor of 1 MD student (Midway through)

Co-supervisor of 3 further PhD students (2 complete and 1 in final year)

Principal supervisor of 3 Academic Foundation Doctors and 1 Academic Clinical Fellow

• Articles

  • Brookes MJ, Chan CD, Crowley TP, Ragbir M, Beckingsale T, Ghosh KM, Rankin KS. What Is the Significance of Indeterminate Pulmonary Nodules in High-Grade Soft Tissue Sarcomas? A Retrospective Cohort Study. Cancers 2023, 15(13), 3531.
  • Boote AT, Deehan DJ, Rankin KS, Swailes DC, Hyde PJ. The addition of a flange does not improve the pressure generated during cemented acetabular cup implantation. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research - Part B Applied Biomaterials 2022, 110(10), 2290-2298.
  • Pringle TA, Chan CD, Luli S, Blair HJ, Rankin KS, Knight JC. Synthesis and In Vivo Evaluation of a Site-specifically Labeled Radioimmunoconjugate for Dual-Modal (PET/NIRF) Imaging of MT1-MMP in Sarcomas. Bioconjugate Chemistry 2022, 33(8), 1564-1573.
  • Brookes MJ, Roundhill EA, Jeys L, Parry M, Burchill SA, Rankin KS. Membrane-type 1 matrix metalloproteinase as predictor of survival and candidate therapeutic target in Ewing sarcoma. Pediatric Blood and Cancer 2022, 69(12), e29959.
  • Gristwood K, Luli S, Rankin KS, Knight JC. In situ excitation of BODIPY fluorophores by ⁸⁹Zr-generated Cerenkov luminescence. Chemical Communications 2022, 83(58), 11689-11692.
  • Rajasekaran RB, Ashford RU, Cosker TDA, Stevenson JD, Jeys L, Pollock R, Rankin KS, Cool P, Patton JT, Whitwell D, Gibbons CLMH, Carr A. What Proportion of Patients with Bone and Soft Tissue Tumors Contracted Coronavirus-19 and Died From Surgical Procedures During the Initial Period of the COVID-19 Pandemic? Results From the Multicenter British Orthopaedic Oncology Society Observational Study. Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research 2021, 479(5), 1158-1166.
  • Berner JE, Dearden A, Magdum AA, Crowley TP, Rankin K, Clarke MJ, Ragbir M. Safety of limb-salvaging surgery for sarcomas compromising major vessels: A 15-year single-centre outcomes study. J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg 2021, 20, S1748-6815. In Preparation.
  • Nicoli F, Saleh DB, Ragbir M, Chan CD, Baljer B, Rankin KS. Response to the Comment on "Intraoperative Near-infrared Fluorescence (NIR) Imaging With Indocyanine Green (ICG) Can Identify Bone and Soft Tissue Sarcomas Which May Provide Guidance for Oncological Resection". Annals of Surgery 2021, 274(6), e782-e783.
  • Ozdemir F, Evans I, Rankin KS, Bretcanu O. Preliminary evaluation of the in vitro biocompatibility of magnetic bone cement composites. Open Ceramics 2021, 7, 100146.
  • Wilkinson DJ, Falconer AMD, Wright HL, Lin H, Yamamoto K, Cheung K, Charlton SH, Arques MDC, Janciauskiene S, Refaie R, Rankin KS, Young DA, Rowan AD. Matrix metalloproteinase-13 is fully activated by neutrophil elastase and inactivates its serpin inhibitor, alpha-1 antitrypsin: Implications for osteoarthritis. The FEBS Journal 2021, 289(1), 121-139.
  • Brookes MJ, Chan CD, Nicoli F, Crowley TP, Ghosh KM, Beckingsale T, Saleh D, Dildey P, Gupta S, Ragbir M, Rankin KS. Intraoperative near‐infrared fluorescence guided surgery using indocyanine green (ICG) for the resection of sarcomas may reduce the positive margin rate: An extended case series. Cancers 2021, 13(24), 6284.
  • Nicoli F, Saleh DB, Baljer B, Chan CD, Beckingsale T, Ghosh KM, Ragbir M, Rankin KS. Intraoperative Near-infrared Fluorescence (NIR) Imaging With Indocyanine Green (ICG) Can Identify Bone and Soft Tissue Sarcomas which May Provide Guidance for Oncological Resection. Annals of Surgery 2021, 273(2), e63-e68.
  • Chan CD, Haagensen EJ, Tensaout HA, Rennie KJ, Gamie Z, Barry J, Birch MA, Gerrand CH, Nisar S, Robson CN, Lunec J, Rankin KS. Co‑localisation of intra‑nuclear membrane type‑1 matrix metalloproteinase and hypoxia inducible factor‑2α in osteosarcoma and prostate carcinoma cells. Oncology Letters 2021, 21(2), 158.
  • Lex JR, Evans S, Cool P, Gregory J, Ashford RU, Rankin KS, Cosker T, Kumar A, Gerrand C, Stevenson J. Venous thromboembolism in orthopaedic oncology. The Bone & Joint Journal 2020, 102-B(12), 1743-1751.
  • Boote AT, Bigsby RJ, Deehan DJ, Rankin KS, Swailes DC, Hyde PJ. Does vacuum mixing affect diameter shrinkage of a PMMA cement mantle during in vitro cemented acetabulum implantation?. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part H: Journal of Engineering in Medicine 2020, 235(2), 133-140.
  • Dewhurst RM, Scalzone A, Buckley J, Mattu C, Rankin KS, Gentile P, Ferreira AM. Development of Natural-Based Bone Cement for a Controlled Doxorubicin-Drug Release. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology 2020, 8, 754.
  • Frankel D, Davies M, Bhushan B, Kulaberoglu Y, Urriola-Munoz P, Bertrand-Michel J, Pergande MR, Smith AA, Preet S, Park TJ, Vendruscolo M, Rankin KS, Cologna SM, Kumita JR, Cenac N, Smith ESJ. Cholesterol-rich naked mole-rat brain lipid membranes are susceptible to amyloid beta-induced damage. Aging 2020, 12, 22266-22290.
  • Chamberlain KA, Rankin KS, Briscoe A, Deehan D, Hyde PJ. Wear properties of Poly-Ether-Ether-Ketone bearing combinations under zero and cross shear kinematics in total knee arthroplasty. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part B: Applied Biomaterials 2019, 107(2), 445-453.
  • Kulaberoglu Y, Bhushan B, Hadi F, Chakrabarti S, Khaled W, Rankin KS, St-John Smith E, Frankel D. The material properties of naked mole-rat hyaluronan. Scientific Reports 2019, 9, 6632.
  • Khan M, Rankin KS, Todd R, Lethbridge E, Gerrand C. Surgical excision and not chemotherapy is the most powerful modality in treating synovial sarcoma: the UK’s North East experience. Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery 2019, 139(4), 443-449.
  • Jettoo P, Tan GJS, Gerrand CH, Rankin KS. Role of routine blood tests for predicting clinical outcomes in osteosarcoma patients. Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery 2019, 27(2), 1-6.
  • Wood MJ, Leckenby A, Reynolds G, Spiering R, Pratt AG, Rankin KS, Isaacs JD, Haniffa MA, Milling S, Hilkens CM. Macrophage proliferation distinguishes 2 subgroups of knee osteoarthritis patients. JCI Insight 2019, 4(2), e125325.
  • Holleyman RJ, Husaini H, Rankin KS. Image guided surgery for removal of deep foreign bodies and soft tissue tumours using portable ultrasonography. Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England 2019, 101(2), 136-137.
  • Rankin KS, Ramaskandhan J, Bardgett M, Merrie K, Gangadharan R, Wilson I, Deehan D. Synovectomy during total knee arthroplasty: a pilot single-centre randomised controlled trial. Pilot and Feasibility Studies 2018, (4), 145.
  • Ghosh KM, Lee LH, Beckingsale TB, Gerrand CH, Rankin KS. Indeterminate nodules in osteosarcoma: what's the follow-up?. BJC 2018, 118, 634-638.
  • Morris TM, Gamie Z, Ghosh KM, Rankin KS. Giant cell tumour of the patella with local recurrence: successful management with excision, curettage and artificial bone grafting. BMJ Case Reports 2018, 2018, bcr-2017-221275.
  • Tan GJS, Gerrand CH, Rankin KS. Blood-borne biomarkers of osteosarcoma: A systematic review. Pediatric Blood and Cancer 2018, 66(1), e27462.
  • Morrison RJM, Bunn D, Gray WK, Baker PN, White C, Rangan A, Rankin KS, Reed MR. VASO (Vitamin D and Arthroplasty Surgery Outcomes) study - supplementation of vitamin D deficiency to improve outcomes after total hip or knee replacement: Study protocol for a randomised controlled feasibility trial. Trials 2017, 18, 514.
  • Refaie R, Rushton P, McGovern P, Thompson D, Serrano-Pedraza I, Rankin KS, Reed M. The effect of operating lights on laminar flow. Bone and Joint Journal 2017, 99B(8), 1061-1066.
  • Ribeiro R, Pal D, Jamieson D, Rankin K, Benning M, Dalgarno K, Ferreira A. Temporary Single Cell Coating for Bioprocessing via a Cationic Polymer. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 2017, 9(15), 12967-12974.
  • Rankin KS. Basic science of musculoskeletal tumours. Orthopaedics and Trauma 2017, 31(3), 216-220.
  • Baker P, Rankin K, Naisby S, Agni N, Brewster N, Holland J. Progressive radiolucent lines following the implantation of the cemented Rimfit acetabular component in total hip arthroplasty using the rimcutter technique: cause for concern?. The Bone & Joint Journal 2016, 98-B(3), 313-319.
  • Ghazala CG, Agni NR, Ragbir M, Dildey P, Lee D, Rankin KS, Beckingsale TB, Gerrand CH. Myxofibrosarcoma of the extremity and trunk: a multidisciplinary approach leads to good local rates of LOCAL control. The Bone & Joint Journal 2016, 98-B(12), 1682-1688.
  • Ghazala CG, Agni NR, Ragbir M, Dildey P, Lee D, Rankin KS, Beckingsale TB, Gerrand CH. Myxofibrosarcoma of the extremity and trunk. Bone & Joint Journal 2016, 98B(12), 1682-1688.
  • Pal D, Blair HJ, Elder A, Dormon K, Rennie KJ, Coleman DJL, Weiland J, Rankin KS, Filby A, Heidenreich O, Vormoor J. Long-term in vitro maintenance of clonal abundance and leukaemia-initiating potential in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Leukemia 2016, 30, 1691-1700.
  • Rankin KS, Frankel D. Hyaluronan in cancer - from the naked mole rat to nanoparticle therapy. Soft Matter 2016, 12(17), 3841-3848.
  • Pengas IP, Khan WS, Bennett CA, Rankin KS. Impact of Weekend Physiotherapy Service on the Cost Effectiveness of Elective Orthopaedic Hip and Knee Arthroplasty. Open Orthopaedics Journal 2015, 10(Suppl 2: M11), 515-519.
  • Rankin KS, Sprowson AP, McNamara I, Akiyama T, Buchbinder R, Costa ML, Rasmussen S, Nathan SS, Kumta S, Rangan A. The orthopaedic research scene and strategies to improve it. The Bone & Joint Journal 2014, 96-B(12), 1578-1585.
  • Jameson SS, Rankin KS, Desira NL, James P, Muller SD, Reed MR, Rangan A. Pulmonary embolism following ankle fractures treated without an operation - An analysis using National Health Service data. Injury 2014.
  • O'Neill BJ, Rankin KS, Banks LN, Daruwalla ZJ, Sprowson AP, Robinson DP, Reed MR, Kenny PJ. Consultant and trainee attitudes towards supervision of operative procedures in the UK and Ireland. Irish Medical Journal 2014, 107(4).
  • Rushton MD, Reynard LN, Barter MJ, Refaie R, Rankin KS, Young DA, Loughlin J. Characterization of the cartilage DNA methylome in knee and hip osteoarthritis. Arthritis & Rheumatology 2014, 66(9), 2450-2460.
  • Sohatee MA, Rankin K, Henman PD. Technique for shoulder ultrasonography in infants with congenital brachial plexus palsy. Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England 2013, 95(5), 377-377.
  • Sprowson AP, Rankin KS, McNamara I, Costa ML, Rangan A. Improving the peer review process in orthopaedic journals. Bone & Joint Research 2013, 2(11), 245-247.
  • Moverley R, Rankin KS, McNamara I, Davidson DJ, Reed M, Sprowson AP. Impact factors of orthopaedic journals between 2000 and 2010: trends and comparisons with other surgical specialties. International Orthopaedics 2013, 37(4), 561-567.
  • Lees D, Rankin KS, Murty AN. Floppy Lateral Position: Technique Tip. Foot & Ankle International 2013, 34(10), 1460-1463.
  • Davidson DJ, Rankin KS, Jensen CD, Moverley R, Reed MR, Sprowson AP. Are the claims made in orthopaedic print advertisements valid?. International Orthopaedics 2013, 38(5), 1067-1072.
  • Rankin KS, Starkey M, Lunec J, Gerrand CH, Murphy S, Biswas S. Of Dogs and Men: Comparative Biology as a Tool for the Discovery of Novel Biomarkers and Drug Development Targets in osteosarcoma. Pediatric Blood & Cancer 2012, 58(3), 327-333.
  • Xu Y, Barter MJ, Swan DC, Rankin KS, Rowan AD, Santibanez-Koref M, Loughlin J, Young DA. Identification of the pathogenic pathways in osteoarthritic hip cartilage: commonality and discord between hip and knee OA. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage 2012, 20(9), 1029-1038.
  • Sprowson AP, Rankin K, Shand JE, Ferrier G. Common peroneal and posterior tibial nerve damage, a rare cause. Foot and Ankle Surgery 2010, 16(2), 16-17.
  • Rankin KS, Lakey RL, Gerrand CH, Sprowson AP, McCaskie AW, Birch MA. A Novel in Vitro Model to Investigate Behavior of Articular Chondrocytes in Osteoarthritis. Journal of Rheumatology 2010, 37(2), 426-431.
  • Rankin, K.S., Gerrand, C.H., McCaskie, A.W., Birch, M.A. Hypoxia and substratum dependent behaviour of breast cancer cells in the bone microenvironment. Cancer Treatment Reviews 2006, 32(Supplement 3), 42.

• Book Chapters

  • Gerrand CH, Rankin K. The treatment of soft-tissue sarcomas of the extremities. Prospective randomized evaluations of (1) limb-sparing surgery plus radiation therapy compared with amputation and (2) the role of adjuvant chemotherapy. In: Classic Papers in Orthopaedics. London: Springer-Verlag London Ltd, 2014, pp.483-484.
  • Gerrand CH, Rankin K. The registry of bone sarcomas as an example of the end-result idea in hospital organization. In: Banaszkiewicz PA; Kader DF, ed. Classic Papers in Orthopaedics. London: Springer-Verlag London Ltd, 2014, pp.473-474.
  • Gerrand CH, Rankin K. The hazards of biopsy in patients with malignant primary bone and soft-tissue tumors. In: Banaszkiewicz PA; Kader DF, ed. Classic Papers in Orthopaedics. London: Springer-Verlag London Ltd, 2014, pp.491-493.
  • Gerrand CH, Rankin K. Preoperative versus postoperative radiotherapy in soft-tissue sarcoma of the limbs: A randomised trial. In: Paul A. Banaszkiewicz and Deiary F. Kader, ed. Classic Papers in Orthopaedics. London: Springer, 2014, pp.485-486.
  • Gerrand CH, Rankin K. Osteogenic sarcoma; A study based on 133 patients. In: Classic Papers in Orthopaedics. London: Springer, 2014, pp.477-478.
  • Gerrand CH, Rankin K. Osteogenic sarcoma. A study of six hundred cases. In: Classic Papers in Orthopaedics. London: Springer, 2014, pp.475-476.
  • Gerrand CH, Rankin K. Metastatic disease in long bones. A proposed scoring system for diagnosing impending pathologic fractures. In: Classic Papers in Orthopaedics. London: Springer, 2014, pp.479-480.
  • Gerrand CH, Rankin K. Classic Papers in Orthopaedic Oncology: Introduction. In: Banaszkiewicz, PA; Kader, DF, ed. Classic Papers in Orthopaedics. London: Springer, 2014, pp.471-472.
  • Gerrand CH, Rankin K. Chemotherapy, en bloc resection, and prosthetic bone replacement in the treatment of osteogenic sarcoma. In: Classic Papers in Orthopaedics. London: Springer, 2014, pp.481-482.
  • Gerrand CH, Rankin K. A system for the surgical staging of musculoskeletal sarcoma. In: Classic Papers in Orthopaedics. London: Springer-Verlag London Ltd, 2014, pp.487-488.
  • Gerrand CH, Rankin K. A system for the functional evaluation of reconstructive procedures after surgical treatment of tumors of the musculoskeletal system. In: Banaszkiewicz PA; Kader DF, ed. Classic Papers in Orthopaedics. London: Springer-Verlag London Ltd, 2014, pp.489-490.

• Conference Proceedings (inc. Abstracts)

  • Rogers EL, Reynard LN, Rankin K, Loughlin J. Functional Investigation of an OA susceptibility locus at chromsome 9q33.1 associated with female hip osteoarthritis. In: OARSI World Congress on Osteoarthritis: Promoting Clinical and Basic Research in Osteoarthritis. 2016, THE BOULEVARD, LANGFORD LANE, KIDLINGTON, OXFORD OX5 1GB, OXON, ENGLAND: Elsevier Science Ltd.
  • Rushton MD, Reynard LN, Barter MJ, Rankin KS, Young DA, Loughlin J. Characterisation of the cartilage DNA methylome in knee and hip osteoarthritis using high-density genome-wide analysis. In: 2014 World Congress on Osteoarthritis: Promoting Clinical and Basic Research in Osteoarthritis. 2014, Paris: Elsevier.
  • Biswas S, Rankin KS, Long A, Jackson J, Howard R, Nisar S, Birch M, Lunec J. The prognostic role of MT1-MMP and HIF Isoforms in Human Osteosarcoma. In: American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). 2012, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
  • Xu Y, Barter MJ, Swan DC, Rankin KS, Rowan AD, Santibanez-Koref M, Loughlin J, Young DA. Identification of the pathogenic pathways in osteoarthritic hip cartilage: commonality and discord between hip and knee OA. In: World Congress on Osteoarthritis. 2012, Barcelona, Spain: Elsevier Ltd.
  • Xu Y, Barter MJ, Swan DC, Rankin KS, Rowan AD, Santibanez-Koref M, Lo Ighlin J, Young DA. Comparison of osteoarthritis and normal hip cartilage transcriptomes using RNA-seq reveals new candidate gene targets and associated pathways. In: World Congress on Osteoarthritis. 2012, Barcelona, Spain: Elsevier Ltd.
  • Rankin KS, Gerrand CH, Lakey RL, Sprowson AP, McCaskie AW, Birch MA. Hypoxia facilitates bone invasion by increasing breast cancer cell expression of matrix metalloproteinase-1. In: Calcified Tissue International: Abstracts Presented at the Bone Research Society Meeting. 2008, Manchester, UK: Springer New York LLC.
  • Rankin KS, Lakey RL, Gerrand CH, Sprowson AP, McCaskie AW, Birch MA. A novel in vitro model of osteoarthritis facilitates improved understanding of human articular chondrocyte behaviour. In: Calcified Tissue International: Abstracts Presented at the Bone Research Society Meeting. 2008, Manchester, UK: Springer New York LLC.

• Letters

  • Brookes MJ, Roundhill EA, Jeys L, Parry M, Burchill SA, Rankin KS. Reply to: Comment on: Membrane-type 1 matrix metalloproteinase as predictor of survival and candidate therapeutic target in Ewing sarcoma. Pediatric Blood and Cancer 2023, 70(5), e30206.
  • Mahadeva D, Rankin KS, Muller SD. Skin moisturisers and surgical site preparation: a slippery problem?. Journal of Hospital Infection 2007, 67(4), 386-388.

• Note

  • Gamie Z, Kapriniotis K, Papanikolaou D, Haagensen E, Da Conceicao Ribeiro R, Dalgarno K, Krippner-Heidenreich A, Gerrand C, Tsiridis E, Rankin KS. TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) for bone sarcoma treatment: Pre-clinical and clinical data. Cancer Letters 2017, 409, 66-80.

• Reviews

  • Kannan S, Chong HH, Chew B, Ferguson JD, Galloway E, McCulloch T, Rankin KS, Ashford RU. Leiomyosarcoma in the extremities and trunk wall: systematic review and meta-analysis of the oncological outcomes. World Journal of Surgical Oncology 2022, 20(1), 124.
  • Brookes MJ, Chan CD, Baljer B, Wimalagunaratna S, Crowley TP, Ragbir M, Irwin A, Gamie Z, Beckingsale T, Ghosh KM, Rankin KS. Surgical Advances in Osteosarcoma. Cancers 2021, 13(3), 388.
  • Baljer BC, Kolhe S, Chan CD, Nicoli F, Ghanbasha A, Brookes MJ, Gamie Z, Ghosh KM, Beckinsale TB, Saleh DB, Ragbir M, Gerrand CH, Jeys L, Knight JC, Petrides G, Rankin KS. Advances in image enhancement for sarcoma surgery. Cancer Letters 2020, 483, 1-11.
  • Stamatopoulos A, Stamatopoulos T, Gamie Z, Kenanidis E, Ribeiro RDC, Rankin KS, Gerrand C, Dalgarno K, Tsiridis E. Mesenchymal stromal cells for bone sarcoma treatment: Roadmap to clinical practice. Journal of Bone Oncology 2019, 16, 100231.