Gynae Cancer Management

This section is aimed at both patients and healthcare professionals. We have outlined current arrangements for management of patients with suspected gynaecological cancer and the work that is going on behind the scenes to improve patient care. You will be able to access key documents that highlight the way in which changes to current arrangements will improve services and overall patient care.

As a patient with gynaecological cancer your care will be managed by a team consisting of many different health professionals, including your GP in your local health centre, a specialist gynaecology nurse and a Consultant in Gynaecology at your local hospital. You can learn more about this healthcare team here.

The way you are referred through the healthcare system and therefore the type of journey (or 'patient pathway') you take will vary. This will depend on the decisions the doctors and nurses make about your symptoms. Your own needs and preferences around treatment and care will be taken into consideration. The healthcare team will ensure that you are communicated with at every stage – allowing you to feel comfortable and informed about decisions affecting your care.

Depending upon your symptoms and your GP's assessment, you will be referred into hospital or a specialist clinic for a consultation in one of three ways:

• Immediately - within a few hours, or even more quickly if necessary, if your GP has strong suspicions that your symptoms are related to cancer.
• Urgently – your doctor will refer you under the '2 week wait' system. This means you should be seen at the hospital or specialist clinic within 2 weeks so that your symptoms can be investigated quickly. The hospital clinic staff might contact you by telephone and offer you an appointment at very short notice. This is quite normal and means you will see a Specialist doctor quickly.
• Non-urgently – outside the two week period. This is usually because your GP does not think that your symptoms are serious, but would still like to investigate, to make sure.

It is important to remember that whilst your doctor may refer you to hospital quickly, this does not necessarily mean that you definitely have cancer. It simply means that the specialists can check out your symptoms and undertake tests in more depth, so that they can be sure that they reach the right diagnosis.

You can download further information about Referral Guidelines from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence here or see the menu on the left of the screen for more information on the activities of NICE and links to other key Gynaecological Cancer Management organisations and documents. These include: