Our cancer team

There’s a lot more to being a porter than people may think - we collect blood gases; we have to know about units of blood and take them to the wards; we have to deliver samples and be there for any sort of emergency that happens at the hospital.

Often we deliver units of blood or platelets for our cancer patients so they can be treated as quickly as possible. We are also responsible for taking them to scans as well as taking them for chemotherapy treatment.

I enjoy having that short relationship with patients and being a small part of their journey.

I spend most of my time looking down a microscope at slides of biopsies and resections which are involved in the diagnosis of cancer.

We also measure the grade and stage of the tumour to determine if surgery was successful.

Pathology is pivotal in cancer diagnostic work. We work extremely closely with the radiologists who can diagnose things on imaging, which helps them target which parts to sample for cellular pathology – so radiology are very important to us: without them, we wouldn’t get a biopsy.

I enjoy the challenge of making the diagnosis, it’s like solving lots and lots of puzzles every day.

I get a huge amount of satisfaction when making a diagnosis and being able to say "I know exactly what that is, the patient can now go and get the correct treatment" which can sometimes be critical for their survival.

I am based in the Business Intelligence team and my responsibilities are to ensure we follow national and local guidance for cancer reporting.

I provide advice to staff in relation to cancer pathways to ensure there is a consistent approach across the trust.

I also validate the data collected on our cancer database, which is also used by the four other trusts in the Kent and Medway cancer network, and I upload and report on the trust’s cancer waiting times data, which has to be complete and accurate.

I also analyse our performance and data, providing regular reports to our staff and to external partners.

It is important everyone involved in patients’ care works together, and providing information to help achieve the national cancer waiting times standards is vital.

Each patient having radiotherapy has an individual treatment plan and it is our job to prepare these, using a CT scanner adapted for radiotherapy, and computerised treatment planning systems.

We carry out a CT scan with the patient lying in the treatment position; this is the first radiotherapy appointment for the patient and many are apprehensive so an important part of our job is to explain the procedure and put them at ease.

Once the scan is complete, the images are then transferred to a treatment planning computer system where we mark any organs likely to be affected by the treatment and the oncologist or specialist radiographer will outline the area to be treated.

We work closely with the oncologists and medical physicists to get the best possible treatment plan within strict clinical protocols.

I mainly deal with head and neck, gynae-oncology and skin cancers and I am based at Kent and Canterbury Hospital.

A vital part of our job is to manage timely treatment, easing anxiety when the patient is at their most vulnerable.

Their treatment plan may not be clearly defined until we have all their scans and test results.

This can be a concerning time for patients, so it's important we keep them updated and make sure they are engaged with the process. 

We keep things simple and have named keyworkers and they can put faces to names and we’ve had some great feedback from patients.

I deal with all new cancer patients and make appointments for them after diagnosis.

I talk directly to the patients after their diagnosis which can be very difficult as many are very emotional and anxious and just want to get their appointment booked as soon as possible.

A key part of my job is reassuring them everything is in hand after many of these patients have just been told they have cancer.

It can be daunting but is also rewarding, as we play a huge role in sending that patient on the correct pathway for treatment.

When speaking with patients, I often put myself in their shoes and treat them as I would a member of my own family: with respect, understanding and empathy.

I am a therapeutic radiographer who has moved into a manager role and I support the frontline treatment radiographers with problem-solving.

Once a radiotherapy referral is received from the consultant, together with my team, I ensure all relevant information is available to sign off the referral as soon as possible for us to proceed with booking appointments.

Working in cancer services is rewarding because we are making a difference in someone’s life.

We go on a journey with our patients, from the first time they are seen in the clinic to the last day of treatment when they are able to ring the bell to symbolise the end of the treatment pathway.

 This is the special part of my job!

As a consultant urologist my role is to diagnose and treat people who have surgical problems with the urinary tract, and I'm part of the day-to-day running of the prostate cancer pathway. 

We have set a high standard diagnostic service for prostate cancer with good clinical outcomes and patient experience.

Unfortunately it is getting rarer for me to be gifted with the time to tell patients they do not have cancer – a task now granted to my junior colleagues!

But it is always rewarding to see patients avoid complications of investigations and treatment as they may have done previously - an indication we are making progress as a specialty.

My main duty is to work through the two week wait prostate cancer pathway to ensure these patients are getting investigations and procedures done as quickly as possible.

The first part of the pathway is through me and my challenge is to prepare a safe and smooth route for these patients following their cancer diagnosis.

The word 'cancer' is scary but thanks to new diagnostic and treatment methods, there are cancers we can treat and cure if we diagnose them at an early stage.

Prostate cancer is one of them. 

This is where my role is most important: guiding these patients to an early diagnosis helps us start the treatment as early as possible and give them a better prognosis.