Chemotherapy for People with Gynanecological Cancer

Chapter 10: Chemotherapy  

Overview:

• Outlines the main objectives of chemotherapy
• Informs about the administration of chemotherapy treatments
• Includes a tabulated summary of commonly used chemotherapy drugs and their side-effects
• Summarises the side-effects associated with chemotherapy treatments, how to assess them and how they can be managed

Description:

Chemotherapy plays an important role in the cure and palliation of women with gynaecological cancers, but it is associated with significant physical and psychological distress. The provision of information before commencing treatment can greatly assist in helping women to address their concerns and cope with the experience. In this chapter learn more about chemotherapy; its purposes, administration and side-effects. Also, understand more about new target therapies.

Topics:

• Mode of action
• Administration
  • Treatment cycles
  • Dose intensity
  • Routes of administration
• Side-effects
  • General
  • Effects on bone marrow
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Constipation
  • Diarrhoea
  • Oral mucositis
  • Alopecia
  • Peripheral neuropathy
  • Fatigue
  • Effects on reproductive organs
  • Palmar plantar erythrodysesthesia
  • Infusion reactions
  • Secondary malignancy
• Targeted therapies

Speakers / Authors:

Sheila MacBride
Sheila is a registered nurse with a bachelor’s degree in nursing, a master’s degree in cancer nursing, and a postgraduate certificate in teaching and learning in higher education. Her master’s thesis focused on survivorship and follow-up issues in young men who received chemotherapy for testicular cancer. Sheila has worked as a cancer nurse in Scotland for twenty years, holding posts as charge nurse, Clinical Nurse Specialist, and Clinical Nursing (education) Facilitator. She developed a nurse led chemotherapy service in South-East Scotland. For the past two years she has been a lecturer in cancer nursing at the University of Dundee where she delivers nurse education at pre-registration, post-registration and post-graduate levels in adult and specialist cancer nursing programs.

Sheila is a keen researcher, most recently in the area of radiation skin reactions, and has published and presented nationally and internationally. She has been involved in the development of a best practice statement in radiation skin reactions with an expert multidisciplinary group for National Health Service Quality Improvement Scotland. Her recent initiatives include involving patients in discussions within online education modules for safe administration of cytotoxic chemotherapy to illustrate their perspectives on the chemotherapy experience.

Ellen Toms
Ellen is a registered nurse who holds a diploma in professional studies (nursing), a bachelor’s degree in cancer nursing (with honours), and a master’s degree in advanced clinical practice cancer nursing. Her formative nursing years were spent in general gynaecology while completing her diploma in professional studies. She then moved to the gynaecological oncology ward at the Royal Marsden Hospital (London, UK), followed by a ward manager’s position in a 50 bed gynaecology unit. Ellen then helped to set up the gynaecological oncology ward and service at Portsmouth Hospital (UK), before moving to a Clinical Nurse Specialist post in Portsmouth in 1999.

Ellen now works in Guildford (UK) as a network Clinical Nurse Specialist. Her main interests are service and strategic development, national standards, research, and education. She is currently the president of the UK National Forum of Gynaecological Oncology Nurses.

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