The East Kent Gynaecological Oncology Centre was established in 2000 to care for women in the east Kent region who develop a gynaecological cancer.
Diagnosis
All women with suspected cancer are referred to the service by their general practitioner, where they will usually be seen at a specialist clinic within two weeks. These clinics are based at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital, William Harvey Hospital, and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital
Women who have abnormal bleeding are usually seen in our diagnostic clinics. Most women in this situation do not have cancer, but as cancer is a possibility they are seen within 14 days of being referred by a GP so a diagnosis can be made and women without cancer can be reassured quickly. These clinics are also held in Canterbury, Ashford and Margate.
Treatment
All women diagnosed with a gynaecological cancer are put under the care of a specialist cancer team, who will look at their individual illness and decide how it will best be treated. Your general practitioner will be sent the recommendations of the team within 24 hours of this discussion, and we will of course discuss your options with you at a clinic or on a ward if you are admitted to hospital.
Women who need surgery are admitted to Birchington Ward at Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate. Most radiotherapy treatments are provided at Kent and Canterbury Hospital in Canterbury, although some radiotherapy treatments are only available at Maidstone Hospital. Most women who require chemotherapy for gynaecological cancer are able to have this on an outpatient basis at their closest main hospital (Margate, Canterbury or Ashford).
Research
We, along with the rest of the NHS, are committed to finding new, effective treatments for cancer, and so many women will be invited to join clinical trials, which are research projects in which new treatments are assessed against existing standard treatment regimes. This is completely voluntary and you are completely free not to do so. Your doctor or nurse will tell you if you are eligible for taking part in a trial and will discuss in detail what the trial is for and what taking part in it will mean for you.