Gynaecological Cancer

Your team will discuss with you what care you may need following your initial treatment.

You may be completely discharged for supported self-management, where you will be given alert symptoms to look out for and contact details (usually the nurse specialists)to use if you suspect any problems, or you may be offered a routine hospital follow-up visit. The decision will depend on your needs and the tumour type.

Some patients may also need to have blood tests and scans as part of their follow-up care.

A holistic needs assessment and care plan to support your overall health and wellbeing will be carried out by the clinical nurse specialists. This will look at a number of areas such as helping you cope with tiredness or fatigue and psychological upset such as stress and anxiety, and eating a healthy diet.

A summary of your treatment will be sent to your GP and you will also be offered a copy.

• Outpatient department: looks after patients at all stages of their illness from diagnosis through treatment to monitoring. Opening times are Monday - Friday 8.45am-5.00pm
   
• Oncology daycase: this unit is based in the Specialist Receiving Unit (SRU) and offers a triage service for oncology patients. Daycase patients don’t usually have to stay in hospital overnight.
   
• Centre for Clinical Haematology: this unit includes 40 inpatient beds, a bone marrow transplant unit and a daycase unit with services including stem cell/apheresis (treatments related to the blood).
   
• Inpatient unit: provides treatment aimed at curing cancer and palliative care to relieve symptoms and slow the spread of cancer. It includes two 18 bedded wards (Fraser ward for female patients and Gervis Pearson ward for male patients) plus an eight bedded mixed sex ward (Hogarth), which incorporates the Teenage and Young Adult Unit. Hogarth ward also has an oncology day case unit for planned minor procedures and triage patients.

Visit 1

At your first visit we will discuss your diagnosis and you can ask any questions. We will give you leaflets that you can read at home as well as contact details for the team who will be looking after you.

We will also offer you a record or summary of the consultations between you and the doctor at key points in your cancer journey (also called the patient pathway), which will cover your diagnosis, your treatment options and treatment plan, and information on any follow-up care needed or discharge arrangements.

We may also arrange a CT or MRI scan to give us more detail on the size and possible spread of the cancer.

Visit 2

At your second visit to the clinic we will talk about the results of any scans and agree a treatment plan. 

This might include surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy or palliative care, depending on the nature and extent of your cancer. You will be able to ask the team any questions.

We will also give you a copy of the letter that we will be sending to your GP about your diagnosis and treatment.

Visit 3

If you are having surgery you will be asked to come to a pre-operative clinic to meet the surgical, nursing and anaesthetic team. At this clinic we will discuss your medical history, carry out any examinations needed, assess your fitness for surgery, take blood samples and confirm your consent to go ahead with the operation. Your next visit will be the day of surgery. After your surgery we will see you again in clinic to discuss the results and make a decision on any further treatment you may need.

If you are having radiotherapy or chemotherapy, you will be given an appointment to see the clinical oncology team, who specialise in these treatments.