.

The East Kent Gynaecological Oncology Centre

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.

The Cancer Care Line

Contact The Cancer Care Line:  01227 868666

 (Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm, Saturday and Sunday 8am - 4pm)

This is a central helpline for all patients who have come into contact with a Macmillan Clinical Nurse Specialist or the Macmillan Acute Oncology Team. Not all people that are given this number have cancer, some maybe undergoing investigations to rule it out.

The people that answer your calls are not medically trained and in order for them to direct you to correct person/ team, they will ask for some clinical and personal information.

The Macmillan Clinical Nurse Specialists run designated phone clinics, therefore if appropriate you will be booked onto the next available telephone clinic which may not be the same day.

If the Cancer Care Line Co-ordinator's triage indicates you require urgent clinical advice, you will be put through to the specialist nurse of the day.