Chemotherapy At Home? – The Future Of Cancer Treatment

The thought of having any chemotherapy treatment must be hard enough to bear, but researchers from the University of Surrey are carrying out clinical trials into ‘chemotherapy at home’. NHS cancer patients are currently asked to attend busy clinics in city hospitals but research by the Postgraduate Medical School together with the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford may see a change to that for intensive treatments. Cancer patients taking part in the trials are responding well and are much happier to have nurses visit them at home than battle through the traffic each time their next drug treatment is due. Professor Hilary Thomas said: “I’ve had very positive letters thanking me from patients taking part in the study. Patients are thrilled to have the treatment at home in pleasant surroundings that are familiar to them, especially when some have to go to the hospital five times a week. If the research is approved by NHS officials, this may be a new way of caring for cancer patients in the future.“

Professor Hilary Thomas is Head of Oncology at the Postgraduate Medical School, University of Surrey & Medical Director of the Royal Surrey County Hospital, and is also the Macmillan Clinical Director of the Surrey West Sussex and Hampshire (SWSH) Cancer Network. Professor Thomas will introduce the guest speakers at an Oncology & Pharmaceutical Medicine Awareness Day this Friday 2nd July at the University of Surrey.

Another study being run with UniS and the Royal County Surrey Hospital is examining the use of complementary therapies by cancer sufferers. The researchers have recruited nearly 800 patients and looks at use of therapies like massage, Tai Chi, Reiki and counselling. “When people have just been given bad news they want to be cared for in a pleasant environment. We’ve had a great response from this study”. Professor Hilary Thomas said.