A LEADING Southampton surgeon is paying tribute to his brave patients by running the London Marathon.

Tim Underwood, an oesophageal cancer surgeon at the city's General Hospital, is already in training for the gruelling 26-mile run through the capital.

The 37-year-old is taking on the challenge to raise thousands of pounds for Cancer Research UK and he is urging others to join him next year and help fund ground-breaking research that could lead to new tests and treatments for the killer disease.

Tim, who splits his time between his role as a surgeon and research at the University of Southampton, works alongside the world’s cancer experts to uncover vital clues about how cancer works.

The charity spent more than £4m last year in Southampton on some of the UK’s leading scientific and clinical research.

Tim, whose dad has been successfully treated for bladder and prostate cancer, said: “Many patients suffer such gruelling treatment. Every time I operate to remove a tumour, I ask them to put themselves through the equivalent of a marathon. The least I can do is run one for them.”

To sponsor Tim log onto justgiving.com/Tim-Underwood or text TIMU99 and the amount to 70070.