NICE guidelines

[TheOvacomeTeam]

Hello

There have been some conversations in the forum recently about the new NICE guidelines on systemic cancer treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic. We can see that some of you are worried about how treatment will be affected and feeling that people with ovarian cancer are a lower priority than usual at the moment, so we thought it might be helpful to post some information here about what clinical guidance is and our understanding of the current situation.

NICE guidance is intended to be an aid to decision-making. It isn’t a substitute for clinical judgment. The section of the new guidance on prioritising treatments starts ‘If systemic anticancer treatments need to be prioritised…’ It’s there to help teams in case they find at any point that they need it. They haven’t been told to prioritise all patients in this way all the time.

The NICE guidance recommends that patients be considered individually. At Ovacome, we’re in regular contact with NHS England, the British Gynaecological Cancer Society and the One Cancer Voice group of charities, and the information that we’re receiving confirms that decisions are being made for each patient individually at their specific hospital at that point in time.

Any clinical decision involves weighing the potential benefits and risks to each patient, taking into account their medical history, test results, wishes and other relevant information. The COVID-19 pandemic affects this weighing process because the risks to some people will be higher, for example if their treatment weakens their immune system they could be at higher risk of infection if they are going into the hospital. Having considered the benefits and risks, the team may advise changing to treatment with tablets that can be taken at home. You can find a letter from the British Gynaecological Cancer Society for people living with a diagnosis at:

bgcs.org.uk/public-informat...

We recognise that at this time of uncertainty, many people will be feeling anxious about changes to their treatment or how their care is being managed. Please do get in touch with our Support Service if there’s anything that we can help with.

Best wishes

The Ovacome Team

[thomas62]

Thanks Ovacome Team for this information. Much appreciated. Gwen

[Lindaura]

Thanks for that.

I have my telephone appointment with my Oncologist in Bath on the 23rd of this month.

I feel that I will have to fight for treatment at that time, but I will call the support team after that phone call to discuss what I have learned.

Thank you for supporting us,

Laura