Prof Martin Gore, 67, one of the UK’s leading cancer scientists, has died, the Royal Marsden NHS foundation trust has said. His death was following a yellow fever vaccination.

Gore, who was widely respected for his work, was professor of cancer medicine at the Institute of Cancer Research and a consultant at the Marsden.

Prince William, who is patron of the Marsden, paid tribute. “I’ve found Martin a source of inspiration,” he said, adding that Gore’s “passion for his work, and his obvious compassion and kindness for his patients, their family and friends, reinforces my knowledge that the Royal Marsden is a truly special place”.

William added: “He’s one of the pioneers of 20th-century cancer care, and a friend, colleague and trusted doctor to many.”

Senior scientists expressed their sadness. Prof Peter Openshaw, a former president of the British Society for Immunology, said Gore “was a leader in the field of cancer biology and made a huge contribution to research in this area and the treatment of many thousands of patients. My thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues.”

Yellow fever vaccination certificates are required by some countries as a condition of entry. Deaths from the vaccination were very rare, but there was a higher risk among older people, said Openshaw.

He said: “Yellow fever is a serious viral disease that is found in the tropics and spread by mosquito bite. The vaccine for yellow fever has been available for many years and multiple studies have been conducted into its safety and effectiveness.

“While overall risk of serious side-effects remains very low (at about one in 100,000 of vaccine recipients), it seems that people aged over 60 have a three to fourfold increased risk of experiencing these serious effects compared with younger people. However, this estimate is based on very few reported adverse events.

“This risk has to be balanced against the risk of contracting yellow fever if you are travelling to an infected area – a nasty disease with a high mortality rate.”

Openshaw added: “The NHS advises that all people over the age of 60 talk to their doctor before getting this vaccine, and that the best way to avoid the serious complications that may follow yellow fever infection is not to travel to parts of the world that put you at risk.”

Yellow fever vaccine contained a live attenuated form of the virus, said Dr Louisa James, a lecturer in immunology at Queen Mary University of London.

She said: “Yellow fever vaccine works by activating an immune response against the virus and this response can protect against infection for life. Yellow fever vaccine is highly effective and mass vaccination campaigns in the early 20th century led to a disappearance of the disease in many African countries.

“More than 600m doses of yellow fever vaccine have been given worldwide and it is safe for the majority of individuals. Yellow fever vaccine can very rarely cause severe side-effects, including life-threatening illness. People over 60 appear to have a slightly higher risk of experiencing side-effects from yellow fever vaccine but the risk remains extremely low.

“Vaccination is an essential strategy to combat the devastating impact of yellow fever virus which killed tens of thousands of people during recent outbreaks in Africa.”

• This article was amended on 14 January 2019. After publication, a correction to a quote provided to the Guardian was issued: the yellow fever vaccine has been shown to provide lifelong protection against infection, not “for up to 10 years”. In addition, the Royal Marsden NHS foundation trust did not say Prof Martin Gore died “as a result of a yellow fever vaccination”, as an earlier version said. Gore died following a yellow fever vaccination, and the trust released a statement confirming his death. This has been corrected.