How your treatment will given
The type of anti-cancer treatment that your doctor will prescribe for you might be given by mouth, by injection or using a syringe or a drip directly into a vein which is called intravenous. It may involve more than one drug or bag of fluid at a session, and it is often combined with drugs to stop sickness and sometimes fluid to ensure that you are kept well hydrated. It can take a few minutes or many hours depending what is prescribed. Sometimes treatment involves having treatment in more than one way such as into a vein and also tablets.
Usually, you will have treatment at set intervals with rest periods in between to allow your body to recover from any side effects. The term ‘cycle’ maybe used. Treatment and the rest period make up a cycle. Multiple cycles are usually planned, and these make a ‘course’ of treatment.
Treatment is sometimes given continuously by an infusion pump for several days or longer. If you are having oral tablets/capsules you may have them daily for weeks or months at a time.
The exact make-up of the cycles and courses varies specifically to suit you, the cancer that you have and the stage of the disease. Repeated courses or different courses of treatment can be used if needed. Your cancer team will explain the number of cycles and type of treatment they have planned.
Inpatient and Ambulatory Care treatment.
Most patients can have their treatment, whether it is immunotherapy or chemotherapy, as outpatients or as day-unit attendees. A few still need to be admitted as inpatients because of the length or complexity of the treatment, or the need to monitor the effects in the hours after treatment. If you have been told that you will need to be an inpatient, then you will receive your treatment on one of our oncology or haematology inpatient wards in Bexley Wing at St James’s Hospital. Follow this link for more information about the chemotherapy wards at St James’s. There is a unit available for some patients who would previously have needed to come as inpatients known as the Ambulatory Care Unit (ACU). It is a cross between inpatient and day-unit treatment that allows you to undergo complex treatment over a few days but still go home or stay in the hospital overnight.
Outpatient treatments
Outpatient oral treatments are dispensed from the Bexley Wing Pharmacy. It is open Monday to Friday 8.30 am to 5 pm and located on level 0 between the entrance and the reception desk. We will offer advice on these medicines before you go to pick them up and the pharmacists in the dispensary will also answer any questions that you have, before you leave to take your treatment at home.
Day-case treatment
This is the most common setting to have injection or intravenous treatment. You will arrive for your treatment and go home some hours later. The time for each appointment and the number of visits depends on your treatment but it is usually every two or three weeks. Remember that you can get free parking during your treatment, please ask a member of staff about this. Follow this link for more information about day-case treatment.
Co-ordinating your treatment
Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS) help oversee the whole patient journey through investigations, treatment and beyond. This includes any surgical or radiotherapy that you might also be having at Leeds. They are knowledgeable and approachable and will answer queries about the disease and its treatment. Please click on the conditions treated and click on the relevant condition and then ‘Meet the team’ for more information.