When considering cancer treatment options, the patient is always at the heart of decision-making, supported every step of the way by the expert team at King Edward VII’s Hospital
Having a cancer diagnosis is a frightening experience. You will have many questions, fears and hopes, and it may feel like you’re on a rollercoaster that you cannot get off. Professor Christina Fotopoulou, Clinical Director of Women’s Health at King Edward VII’s Hospital, discusses the role that the patient plays in making decisions about their cancer treatment:
Your diagnosis and treatment plan would have been discussed extensively at a multidisciplinary team meeting, involving surgeons, oncologists, pathologists, radiographers and nurse specialists to ensure that you’re given the best, most effective, most appropriate and evidence-based care.
Despite all of the medical experts involved in your care, your input as a patient is just as important.
It’s deemed essential that the patient is fully informed and involved in the decision-making process, from the time the diagnosis is made to the end of treatment and beyond. You, as a cancer patient, are best kept fully informed in order to help you get as much from your treatment as possible.
That’s not to say that you’re on your
own when it comes to making decisions. Your doctors, nurses and other specialists will be on hand to help you make informed decisions, every step of the way.
And while it’s always a good idea to listen to the advice of your doctors, never be afraid to ask questions or for something to be explained as many times as you need it to be.
In order to help you make decisions along with your medical team, your doctors, including your gynaecologist and oncologist, will discuss the risks and benefits of each option available to you.
For example, this might include the risks and benefits associated with performing surgery before chemotherapy, versus the other way around. Or, it might be the
risks and benefits to you having no treatment at all, or to how far you wish to go in terms of treatment.
Often you’ll be given a few days to think about your options, and to talk to loved ones about them, before discussing them again and planning the next steps.
Operations to remove cancerous lumps and tissues have changed massively from how they were in the past. They may be more extensive now, especially for advanced cancers, but they tend to be less traumatic as new technology, surgical instruments and procedures have advanced.
Better management and a different approach to recovery now means better and faster healing. As a general rule, you may expect to feel fully recovered from surgery and treatment around nine months from the start of your treatment.
You’re key in making decisions about your care, along with your doctors, nurses and other specialists, and you will be provided with the care and support you need throughout the entire process.
If you are concerned about your gynaecological health, or you have received a diagnosis for gynaecological cancer and are considering private treatment, call a member of the dedicated patient services team at King Edward VII’s Hospital to discuss your options: +44 (0)20 4571 3373
(Mon-Fri, 9am -5pm).
