This gives you information on the role and contact details for your upper GI Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS).

You have been referred to the CNS because your doctor suspects or has found that you have a cancer diagnosis.

The CNS will be your main point of contact throughout your diagnosis and treatment.

How to contact your CNS

Your Clinical Nurse Specialist
Direct line: 020 8934 3734

Macmillan 24-hour hotline
For all patients under the care of the Royal Marsden (Fulham, Sutton or Kingston branches) 020 8915 6899

How your CNS can help you

Your CNS can help by:

  • giving you written information and explaining things so you and your family understand your diagnosis and care
  • offering advice on dealing with problems caused by your diagnosis or treatment
  • listening and giving emotional or practical support
  • offering information about services and other organisations
  • talking about your diagnosis and care with other health and social care professionals, for example a dietician or social worker.

How we decide what treatment to offer you

In line with national guidelines, decisions on the best way to treat your disease will involve a range of specialists meeting together to discuss treatment options. This is called a Multi Disciplinary Team (MDT) meeting.

At these MDT meetings, the specialists in upper GI cancer will review your diagnosis and your scans and test results.

Your CNS is at all MDT meetings to represent your views and to feed back the discussion to you if you want them to.

When the team has gathered all the necessary information, which can sometimes take time, they will discuss your case to plan your best treatment options.

This plan will be discussed and agreed with you at your next clinic appointment.

Specialists who make up the upper GI cancer MDT

Clinical oncologist A doctor who specialises in treating cancer with radiotherapy, chemotherapy and other cancer drugs
Medical oncologist A doctor who specialises in treating cancer with chemotherapy and other cancer drugs
Gastrointestinal consultant

A doctor who treats gastrointestinal problems

Surgeon A doctor who performs operations
Radiologist A doctor who performs investigations including X-rays and ultrasounds
Histopathologist

A doctor who examines patient samples and specimens

CNS A clinical nurse specialist who represents your views at the MDT
MDT coordinator A clinician who makes sure MDT meetings take place when needed

Treatments

Treatments for upper gastrointestinal cancers include surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted therapies and supportive and palliative care.

  • Surgery takes place at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Fulham Road.
  • Radiotherapy takes place at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Chelsea or Sutton.
  • Unless you are taking part in a trial, you will be given chemotherapy in The Sir William Rous Unit at Kingston Hospital.

Support and information

Kingston Hospital provides support and information services.

These include counselling, complementary therapies and a variety of workshops for cancer patients and their carers.

See Contacts section below.

Language translation

If you need help with language translation, email the Haematology department and they will arrange this for you. See under More information below.

Translated information is available in some languages from:

Macmillan Cancer Support

Cancer Research UK

Contact information

Kingston Hospital Cancer Counselling Service, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. Email: khft.cancercounsellingservice@nhs.net


Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Service. Email: khft.macinfoswru@nhs.net

 

Kingston Hospital Upper GI CNS team

Telephone:

Kingston Hospital Cancer Counselling Service: 020 8934 2114
 

Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Service: 020 8973 5001
 

Kingston Hospital Upper GI CNS team: 020 8934 3734