The Department of Medical Oncology provides a comprehensive medical (non-surgical) service for patients with cancer. Each patient with a suspected or confirmed diagnosis of cancer has his/her case discussed at a multidisciplinary team meeting, where an individual treatment plan is agreed. Services provided include inpatient and outpatient chemotherapy, non-surgical treatment of cancer and supportive and palliative care. A patient may also be eligible to take part in a clinical trial of a new cancer treatment. All patients have access to an oncology liaison Nurse who will provide information and advice.
St. James’s Hospital is one of the eight cancer centres of the HSE National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP), and one of two centres in the Dublin Mid-Leinster Networks. The range of services encompasses diagnosis, staging and all aspects of cancer treatment including radiation therapy services.
St. James’s Hospital is an academic medical centre. The cancer programme at St. James’s Hospital and Trinity College Dublin includes genetic and molecular research and clinical and translational clinical trials. The integrated program unit for each cancer is well developed and is underpinned by well-established corporate and executive structures including clinical directorates, cancer site-specific interdisciplinary teams and supportive corporate functionality, as well as a well-structured synergistic interface with Trinity College in cancer research and education.
The Cancer Clinical Trials Office (CCTO) opened at St James’s Hospital in 2003. Recruitment to trials has increased 9-fold since 2001. This is due to a number of factors; the opening of the CCTO in 2003 and our affiliation with the Irish Clinical Oncology Research Group (ICORG), whose remit is to source high quality oncology and haematology clinical trials. St. James’s hospital is fortunate in having on-site cancer research infrastructure, with real proximity between the patient, the CCTO, and the molecular laboratories. This has facilitated the development of a translational research programme. Research fellows are employed by the CCTO to conduct novel cancer research.
Over the past few years we have conducted trials with most of the major pharmaceutical companies and international co-operative groups, such as European Organisation for Research & Treatment of Cancer (EORTC), National Surgical Adjuvant Breast & Bowel Project (NSABP), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) and Cancer International Research Group (CIRG).
Clinical trials are an integral part of cancer services at St James’s Hospital. It is only through such research that newer and better therapies for cancer will become available. In our experience patients are happy to participate in trials. They feel reassured by the close contact that they have with the research nurse and that they have access to the best therapies available.
https://www.tcd.ie/research/themes/cancer/
