As a cancer patient, you may receive treatment at Queen Margaret Hospital or Victoria Hospital Kirkcaldy or Edinburgh.  It may be that you will need to have parts of your treatment at a different hospital to where you were first diagnosed. Wherever your appointment takes place, we will work with you to ensure that your journey with us is as smooth as possible.

Please check what hospital your appointment is at before starting your journey.

If you are being seen at the Victoria Hospital you can find useful information by clicking on these links

Travel and car parking

Facilities and amenities

Wards

Directions: Enter at the main entrance turn left and use the lifts from the ground floor to Level 9 to Urology Day Treatment Centre Level 9

If you are being seen at the Queen Margaret Hospital you can find useful information by clicking on these links

Travel and Car Parking

Facilities and Amenities

Wards

If you are being seen at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh you can find useful information by clicking visiting the Western General Hospital page.

If you are being seen at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary in you can find useful information by visiting the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary page.

Once a referral has been made by your GP, you will be seen at our One Stop Clinic, where a urology consultant will ask about your symptoms.  You will then be examined and may be sent for other investigations. 

Once all the results are available your case will be discussed at our weekly multidisciplinary meeting, where a plan of action and next steps will be made regarding treatment options. 

A further appointment will be made with the team to discuss this with you.

If you have been diagnosed with cancer (or suspicion of cancer), a team of healthcare professionals will work together to plan the treatment they feel is best for you.  This team is called a multidisciplinary team (MDT).

Depending on the type of cancer you have and how it is treated, you may be seen by some or all of these healthcare professionals. See Your care team page for details.

The MDT will meet together weekly, to review and discuss the results of your tests and then formulate a treatment plan.  You will be advised of the outcome of the meeting and the next steps by phone call, letter, or appointment.  This information will also be forwarded on to your GP.

If you have particular signs and symptoms that suggest you might have cancer, your GP will refer you to a specialist doctor at the urgent suspected cancer one stop clinic.  This will be a doctor that specialises in diagnosing and treating the type of cancer your GP thinks could be causing the symptoms you may have.  At your first appointment to see the specialist doctor, you will be asked about what is concerning you about your presenting condition, along with any signs and symptoms you are experiencing.

The specialist will ask you about your past medical history and about any medications that you may be currently taking and the reasons for this.  Please bring a list of medications with you at this appointment.  The doctor will also examine you and may arrange additional tests.  Before your appointment, you may take time to write down any questions you may have.  You will be given the opportunity to ask any questions and you will be given written information regarding any tests that are requested.

Getting an accurate diagnosis of cancer can take a few weeks; the reason for this is that any tests and test results need to be available before your case can be discussed by the Multidisciplinary team to decide on next steps.  The NHS is committed to making sure that people with cancer or suspected cancer are seen and treated as soon as possible.

Surgery

The aim of surgical treatment is to remove the cancer along with some surrounding normal tissue to ensure it has been completely removed. In addition, surgery often will search for any signs of spread by taking biopsies of other tissues such as lymph nodes.
While often surgery will be the first treatment option, this does depend on the type of cancer and the site. The range of surgical options is enormous but, if you require surgery, you will be operated on by surgeons who are experts in surgery for their particular cancer. Our multidisciplinary team ensures that you are offered the best combination of surgery and when necessary, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Surgery is normally provided at the Queen Margaret Hospital.

Brachytherapy

We are able to offer internal radiotherapy, known as brachytherapy. This is where solid radioactive material is placed inside the body to destroy cancer cells. It is placed within or near to the cancer, and as the radiation does not travel very far the advantage of this treatment is that it gives a high dose of radiotherapy directly to the tumour, but a low dose to normal tissues.

In men, brachytherapy is a common procedure used to treat prostate cancer and is recognised as an alternative to traditional, external beam radiotherapy. It involves implanting ‘seeds’ or ‘pellets’ of radioactive material directly into the prostate gland under a general or spinal anaesthetic. These ‘seeds’ are about the size of a grain of rice.

Brachytherapy is delivered at the Western General Hospital, Edinburgh 

Radiotherapy 

Radiotherapy uses high-energy X-rays (radiation) to destroy cancer cells. It may be given on its own, or alongside other treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy or brachytherapy. Each course of radiotherapy is carefully planned based on the patient and the type of cancer they have. The doctor will prescribe the amount of radiation needed for the treatment. It can be delivered in one treatment, or it may be delivered in daily smaller doses.

Post Radiotherapy Patient Information

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to treat the whole body and to kill cancer cells wherever they might spread. Most typically, these are given as an intravenous infusion via a drip, an injection under the skin (subcutaneous), or some chemotherapy drugs can be given in tablet form.
Chemotherapy drugs can be given on their own, but are frequently given in combination. Treatment is usually given every few weeks for a variable duration, but typically lasting several months. The drugs given and their frequency will depend on the type of cancer.
All side effects will be carefully explained and ways to avoid/treat them will be discussed by the teams involved in your care. The majority of side effects are temporary and will resolve on completion of treatment. Your clinical nurse specialist and doctors will explain specific side effects of the drugs you are receiving.
The majority of patients requiring chemotherapy at our hospitals will receive their treatment as an outpatient.

These facilities are provided in the following locations:

• Queen Margaret Hospital 

Best supportive care

Best Supportive Care focuses on quality of life and aims to help you live as well and as comfortable as possible, rather than curing the cancer. Best Supportive Care can:

• Help with symptoms such as breathlessness, pain, sickness or problems eating
• Help you and the people you care about come to terms with the diagnosis and what it means
• Help you talk about the future and plan ahead. This can be hard to do but can help you feel more prepared and in control
• Support you to manage at home

Best Supportive Care is usually provided by a combination of people, including: GPs and District Nurses, Cancer Specialist Nurses and Specialist Palliative Care.

This page explains why you have been referred to the hospital and provides information about your first appointment with us.

Why have I been referred to hospital?

You have been referred because your symptoms need further tests. It is important that these tests happen quickly so we can diagnose you and start treatment (if needed) as soon as possible.

Does this mean I have cancer?

No, there are many common conditions that symptoms could be linked to, including the possibility of cancer. Nine out of 10 people referred to the hospital do not have cancer.

Why do I need to be seen?

Although it is most likely that you do not have cancer, it is important we carry out the necessary assessments and tests as quickly as possible. This is done to reassure most of those referred, but also to quickly diagnose and start treatment on the small number that do have cancer. It is important that you attend all the appointments we offer you to ensure there are no delays.

How many appointments do I need?

It is difficult to say how many appointments you will need to attend. If you have an emergency and cannot keep your appointment, please let us know as soon as possible by calling the number on your appointment letter so that we can rearrange your appointment. Some patients will go straight for tests and investigations. You should receive instructions prior to your appointment. Please follow the instructions carefully otherwise it can lead to tests and investigations being delayed or cancelled. If you are unclear, please call the number on your appointment letter. 

The urological team includes the following staff:

• Surgeon: a doctor who specialises in a specific cancer type and does operations
• Medical oncologist: a doctor who specialises in treating cancer with chemotherapy and other cancer drugs
• Clinical oncologist: a doctor who specialises in treating cancer with radiotherapy, chemotherapy and other cancer drugs
• Consultant radiologist: a doctor who is expert in interpreting X-rays and scans. They may also perform biopsies (taking tissue samples) with the aid of imaging techniques 
• Consultant pathologist: a doctor who looks at cells and tissue samples under a microscope to search for cancer cells
• Clinical Nurse Specialist: an experienced cancer nurse who will give you advice and support as you go through investigations and treatment.
• Patient navigator: an experienced professional who helps patients navigate through health care services and systems
• Radiologist: a specialist in x-rays and scans

The oncology urology team are a team of experts and will work with you to conduct and provide the best care plan possible.
If you have any concerns, please talk to the team who will be considerate of your decisions and wishes.

The Urology Cancer nursing Service is available Monday to Friday 08.00-16.00 An answering machine is available to leave a message, we aim to get back to you within 24 hours. Please leave a brief message including, your name; date of birth; and contact number and short message.

This is where you will find information about how you can help yourself before surgery.

Preparing for surgery

Prehabilitation

Prehabilitation Sessions: Available at Maggies Centre Fife:

Thursdays 14.00-16.00 (pre-booked by the specialist nursing team)

What to bring

• Your appointment letter from us
• A list of medications you are taking, including medicines you have been prescribed by your GP or other specialist, together with any alternative or herbal remedies and anything you have bought over the counter.
• Something to occupy you while you are waiting.
•  A written list of questions you would like to ask.

Practical support

Single Point of Contact Hub (SPOCH) is a service dedicated to helping you when have been referred by your GP to exclude bowel or a urological cancer (bladder, kidney, penile prostate or testicular) or have been diagnosed with one of these cancers.

SPOCH is a centralised service to support you and help keep you updated throughout your cancer journey until cancer is excluded or to support you throughout your cancer journey, should you be diagnosed.

Circle of Comfort charity

NICE

SIGN

British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS)

Fife Carers Centre

Fife Young Carers

Improving Cancer Journey Team (Fife)

Prostate Cancer Scotland

Prostate Cancer UK 

Action Bladder Cancer UK 

Macmillan Cancer Support 

Maggie's Centres 

Mywishes.co.uk 

Penny Brohn

Single Point of Contact Hub (SPOCH)

Yes to Life

The most effective way to feedback about your patient experience is to use the Care Opinion website.  Care Opinion allows you to truthfully share your experience with us and with others.  This site is moderated and your comments will be both seen and reviewed.

Queen Margaret Hospital/ Urology

Victoria Hospital/Urology

Glenrothes Hospital/ Urology

St Andrews Hospital/ Urology