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ICRProf Montserrat García-Closas — no licensed photograph is available, so the academic plate is shown instead.

Academic

Prof Montserrat García-Closas

Professor of Epidemiology and Group Leader, Integrative Cancer Epidemiology, The Institute of Cancer Research, London

The Institute of Cancer Research, London is based in Sutton and Cheam — the organisation’s base, not a personal address.

Press citations

5

Topic

1

Cancer

Last quoted

Sept 2026

first cited Aug 2026

Prof Montserrat García-Closas: key facts

Kind of voice
Academic
Role
Professor of Epidemiology and Group Leader, Integrative Cancer Epidemiology
Organisation
The Institute of Cancer Research, London
Organisation based in
Sutton and Cheam
Quoted on
Cancer
Tracked press citations
5
Most recently quoted
30 Sept 2026
First quoted
27 Aug 2026

Who Prof Montserrat García-Closas is

Professor Montserrat García-Closas is a physician epidemiologist and Professor of Epidemiology at the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), London, where she leads the Integrative Cancer Epidemiology Group. She co-leads the Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention Research Unit, a joint initiative between the ICR and Imperial College London, and holds an honorary appointment at The Royal Marsden Hospital. She received her M.D. from the University of Barcelona and a Doctorate of Public Health in epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health, before joining the US National Cancer Institute's Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics in 1996, where she eventually served as Deputy Director. She returned to the ICR in 2023 and is principal investigator of the Breast Cancer Now Generations Study, a prospective cohort of 110,000 women in the UK, and the Male Breast Cancer Study. She has published over 400 peer-reviewed papers and is known for her research on genetic susceptibility, etiologic heterogeneity, and risk prediction for breast cancer, and has been quoted in the UK press on topics including the rise of early-onset cancers.

“Our findings show that while cancer rates are rising in younger adults, the trends are unlikely to be explained by changes in most known behavioral risk factors. Excess weight is an important contributor, although it cannot fully account for the scale of the rise in bowel and other cancers. This tells us that multiple factors—including early‑life exposures—may be acting together.”

References for this biography

  1. 1.Professor Montse Garcia-Closas – ICR staff profile — Current role title, group leadership, joint unit with Imperial, honorary Royal Marsden appointment, educational background, NCI career history, Generations Study PI role, publication count
  2. 2.Montserrat García-Closas Leaves DCEG – National Cancer Institute — Confirms departure from DCEG Deputy Director role in May 2023 to join ICR as faculty
  3. 3.Expert reaction to study on global cancer cases among under-50s – Science Media Centre — Evidences her role as a UK press-quoted expert, identified as Professor of Epidemiology at the ICR
  4. 4.Excess weight and cancer rates in under-50s – ICR news — Confirms her title as Co-Director of CEPRU and Group Leader in Integrative Cancer Epidemiology; records her public commentary on early-onset cancer
  5. 5.Media office – The Institute of Cancer Research, London — Provides organisational press office contact details (email and phone)
  6. 6.Contact us – The Institute of Cancer Research, London — Confirms ICR Sutton head office address and postcode: Brookes Lawley Building, 32 Oakleaf Avenue, Sutton, SM2 5GP
  7. 7.New academic appointments to drive cancer epidemiology and prevention research – Imperial College London — Confirms her appointment as Team Leader at ICR Division of Genetics and Epidemiology in 2023

Notable achievements

  • Principal investigator of the Breast Cancer Now Generations Study, a prospective cohort study of 110,000 women in the UK examining cancer aetiology and outcomes Source ↗
  • Served as Deputy Director of the NCI Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics (DCEG) from 2015–2022, providing scientific and administrative leadership Source ↗
  • Has published over 400 peer-reviewed papers in cancer epidemiology and genetics Source ↗
  • Quoted by the Science Media Centre as an expert commentator on the global rise in early-onset cancers Source ↗

What Prof Montserrat García-Closas has said

  • “There will be a balance to strike. Ultimately, it will be a trade-off between the practical, resource, and cost implications of data collection and risk assessment, and the potential benefits and harms associated with accurate and inaccurate classification of women.”

    Professor at the Institute of Cancer Research, London · Cancer · 30 Sept 2026 · Women under 50 at risk of breast cancer are not being referred - study ↗

  • “Excess weight is an important contributor, although it cannot fully account for the scale of the rise in bowel and other cancers. This tells us that multiple factors – including early-life exposures – may be acting together. Understanding these patterns is essential for identifying what is truly driving cancer risk in today's generations.”

    co-director of the Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention Research Unit and Group Leader in Integrative Cancer Epidemiology at the Institute of Cancer Research · Cancer · 27 Aug 2026 · Obesity a key factor for rising cancer rates in young people in England, study finds ↗

  • “There will be a balance to strike: the Nice criteria are much easier to implement, but miss a large proportion of women at elevated risk. But a full risk assessment including genetic testing will place a heavy burden on resources.”

    Institute of Cancer Research, London · Cancer · 12 Aug 2026 · GPs’ breast cancer guidelines ‘miss’ 95% of young women who will develop disease ↗

  • “There will be a balance to strike: the NICE criteria are much easier to implement, but miss a large proportion of women at elevated risk. But a full risk assessment including genetic testing will place a heavy burden on resources.”

    The Institute of Cancer Research, London · Cancer · 10 Aug 2026 · NICE referral criteria miss up to 95 per cent of women under 50 who go on to develop breast cancer within 10 years ↗

Where Prof Montserrat García-Closas has been quoted

  1. Obesity and cancer: new research reveals gaps in our understandingoncology-central.com · 30 Sept 2026
  2. Women under 50 at risk of breast cancer are not being referred - studynews.sky.com · 30 Sept 2026
  3. Obesity a key factor for rising cancer rates in young people in England, study findstheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
  4. GPs’ breast cancer guidelines ‘miss’ 95% of young women who will develop diseasetheguardian.com · 12 Aug 2026
  5. NICE referral criteria miss up to 95 per cent of women under 50 who go on to develop breast cancer within 10 yearsicr.ac.uk · 10 Aug 2026

Related media coverage

Recent UK press coverage of their topics — not necessarily citing them directly.

Contact & links

Organisational contact points only, each taken from a page the organisation publishes itself. No personal or direct contact details are held or shown.

Professors, researchers and think-tank analysts quoted on the strength of their research rather than a clinical role. Citations are counted by an automated scan of UK press coverage and may be incomplete. Roles, biographies and contact details are researched and human-reviewed before they appear here; anything not yet reviewed is simply absent rather than shown unverified. This profile was last updated on 5 Oct 2026. See the methodology for how this page is built, or email contact@bridgeheadcommunications.com to correct anything on it.