If you're diagnosed with cancer, a team of specialists will work together to give you the best treatment and care. This is also know as your multi-disciplinary team (MDT).
The team includes doctors and other health professionals who are experts in the type of cancer you have.
Your healthcare team will talk to you about the treatment options they think is best for you. But the final decision is yours.
If you agree with their recommendation, they'll start to plan your treatment.
Who is part of your healthcare team
Team members can include a:
- surgeon
- radiologist
- pathologist
- medical oncologist
- radiation oncologist
- haemato oncologist
- clinical nurse specialist
- pharmacist
Your healthcare team may refer you to the palliative care team. They will help you manage your symptoms and improve your quality of life.
Palliative care team members may include a:
- palliative care doctor
- physiotherapist, occupational therapist
- speech and language therapist
- dietitian
- radiation therapist
- psychologist
Your point of contact
You will have 1 main point of contact in your healthcare team - usually a specialist nurse. Your team will tell you who this is.
Your specialist nurse will:
- support you through your treatment
- give you information about other sources of advice and support
- give you their contact number so you can call them if you have any questions
Keep in contact with your GP so they can give you advice and support.
You can also get advice from:
- the medical social worker at your hospital
- support organisations
- local cancer support centres
Help with cancer treatment costs
Types of treatment
The main ways to treat cancer are with:
You may be invited to take part in a clinical trial.
Some cancers need other types of treatment.
Surgery
Surgery is the first treatment for most types of cancer, especially if it is found early. If your tumour is solid, a surgeon can usually remove it.
You may also need to have lymph nodes removed. Lymph nodes are part of the body's drainage system.
Surgery takes place in a hospital with a cancer centre.
These are in:
- Cork
- Dublin
- Galway
- Limerick
- Waterford
Usually this will be in the hospital with a cancer centre nearest to where you live.
If you have a less common cancer you may need to go to a hospital that specialises in surgery for that type of cancer.
Radiotherapy
Radiotherapy uses radiation to kill cancer cells.
There are many different ways you can have radiotherapy, but they all work in a similar way.
They damage cancer cells and stop them from growing or spreading in the body.
You will have radiotherapy in a hospital that specialises in radiotherapy. These are in:
- Cork
- Dublin
- Galway
- Limerick
- Waterford
Cancer medicines
The main types of medicines to treat cancer are:
These are also known as cancer drugs or systemic anti-cancer therapy (SACT).
There are 26 hospitals in Ireland where you can get these treatments.
Deciding to have cancer treatment
The final decision about treatment is yours. Making this decision can be difficult.
You may find it useful to write a list of questions to ask your care team.
Questions to ask about cancer treatment
You may want to ask questions such as:
- what your treatment is for
- what are the possible side effects
- how to prevent or relieve side effects
- how effective the treatment is likely to be
- are there other treatments you could try
- how will you know if the treatment is working
Giving your consent
We need to get your consent (permission) before treatment starts.
Before we get your consent we will:
- explain the treatment to you
- explain the risks and side effects
- give you time to read and think about any information they give you
- give you time to ask questions
You usually give your consent by either:
- saying you’re happy for it to go ahead
- signing a consent form
You can withdraw your consent if you change your mind before treatment starts.
Your treatment plan
Your treatment will depend on:
- the type of cancer you have
- where exactly the cancer is located
- the stage it's at and if it has spread to other parts of your body
- your age
- your general health
- your consent and wishes
Before treatment starts, your care team will draw up a plan that outlines:
- the type of treatment you'll have
- how many treatment sessions you'll need
- how often you'll need treatment
- how often you'll need to have a scan
Treatment may be to:
- try to cure the cancer completely
- make another treatment work better
- reduce the risk of the cancer coming back
- help you live longer
- relieve symptoms and have a better quality of life
How long cancer treatment is for
How often you need treatment and for how long can be different for everyone.
Your cancer medicine treatment may take several months. You will have a course of treatment that is usually made up of a number of cycles.
Ask your healthcare team about the number of cycles you need to treat the cancer.
Each cycle is a session or a number of sessions of treatment followed by a rest period.
The rest period helps:
- your body recover from the side effects
- healthy cells in your blood to go back to normal
Cancer medicines are sometimes given continuously for several weeks or months without a rest period. This is known as continuous cancer treatment.
You may have treatment over many years, if your cancer cannot be cured.
Clinical trials
Clinical trials are research studies that help you access new treatments for your cancer.
Ask your doctor or care team if they know of any clinical trials that you may be eligible to join. If a clinical trial is relevant for you, they will discuss this with you.
If you take part in a clinical trial, you may benefit from a new treatment.
But there's also a chance that the new treatment turns out to be no better, or worse, than the standard treatment.
It is free to take part in a clinical trial in Ireland.
Cancer treatment clinical trials
There are different types of cancer clinical trials.
They can include:
- cancer medicines
- radiation
- surgery
In the case of cancer medicines, a clinical trial looks at how a new medicine, or a combination of medicines, works for a particular type of cancer.
If you're invited to take part in a trial, you'll be given information about it. If you want to take part, you'll be asked to sign a consent form.
You can refuse or withdraw from a clinical trial without it affecting your care.
Cancer trials and studies listing - cancertrials.ie
Palliative care
If your cancer cannot be cured, you can get support and treatment to help you have a better quality of life. This is called palliative care.
Palliative care is tailored to your needs and the people that are important to you.
It includes:
- treatment for symptoms such as pain
- psychological, social and spiritual support for you, your family or carers
The people involved in palliative care may include:
- your GP
- your carers
- nurses
- healthcare professionals, specialists and pharmacists in hospital
- physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, social workers and dietitians
If you have complicated symptoms your care team may refer you to a specialist palliative care (SPC) team.
Palliative care as your cancer progresses
As your cancer progresses, your care team may work with you on a clear management plan.
Ask about your care plan. Tell them about you and your carer's wishes.
This can include plans for your care as you become more ill.
For example, you may prefer to be cared for in:
- your home
- hospital
- a hospice
- another place of care
The plan will take account of:
- the services available to you locally
- your doctor or GP's advice
- your personal circumstances
Complementary therapies
Talk to your healthcare team if you're thinking about using a complementary therapy.
They can tell you if a complementary therapy is safe to use alongside your existing cancer treatment.
Some complementary therapies can help your symptoms or wellbeing.
But you need to make sure that there are no serious side effects if they're taken with your cancer treatment.
Alternative therapies
Talk to your healthcare team if you are considering using alternative therapies instead of standard cancer treatment.
Some alternative therapies may not be safe and can cause side effects.
They may affect your cancer treatment.
Cancer and complementary therapies - cancer.ie
Deciding to stop treatment
Talk to your healthcare team if you're thinking of stopping treatment. For example, if you are struggling with side effects.
Your team can give you advice about the benefits of continuing with treatment.
But the final decision to continue or stop is yours.
