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Visit the Neuro-Oncological Surgery Page

St George’s offers a supra-network multidisciplinary service for managing tumours in the central nervous system, serving a population of over four million.

We receive referrals from South West London and Surrey, and surrounding counties. We also accept out-of-area referrals and referrals from overseas, reflecting the high level of specialist surgical management offered within the centre. We discuss nearly 6,000 cases in our MDTs annually and perform around 500 tumour operations yearly.

The Neurological Cancer Service at St George’s offers diagnosis and surgical treatment for a range of brain and central nervous system (CNS) cancers and benign tumours, including:

  • Primary brain tumours, with a sub-specialty interest in low-grade glioma surgery
  • Cerebral metastasis (surgery and radiosurgery)
  • Skull base tumours, including acoustic neuromas
  • Pituitary tumours
  • Spinal cord tumours
  • Paediatric brain tumours

We have dedicated Multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings attended by specialist neuro-oncological surgeons, neuro-oncologists (from our partner oncology centres, Royal Marsden Hospital and St Luke’s Cancer Centre, Guildford), neurologists, neuropsychology and neuropathologists as well as specialist allied health professionals. We also host the supra-regional (Cyberknife) Radiosurgery MDT meeting weekly.

We have a specialist neuroradiology service performing CT, MRI and angiography. We also provide advanced 3T MRI scanning, including perfusion, diffusion MRI and spectroscopy. We have access to 24/7 interventional stroke services and a dedicated neuro-intensive care unit and benefit from on-site neuro-rehabilitation facilities. There is a close surgical collaboration with ENT, maxillofacial and endocrinology services to manage skull base and pituitary tumours.

 

What is Personalised Cancer Care?

 Personalised Cancer Care means your team will support you to take an active role in your cancer care by giving choices and control based on what matters most.

Together with your key workers’ team, like your Clinical Nurse Specialist and Macmillan Support worker, we will aim to help you access the care and support that meets your individual needs from the moment you receive your cancer diagnosis so that you can live as full, healthy and active a life as possible.

You will be invited to complete a Holistic Needs Assessment (HNA) to identify any concerns you may have when you have been diagnosed with cancer. These concerns may be physical, emotional, practical, financial and spiritual.

You will answer a simple set of questions or fill in a checklist about all areas of your life. It is to find out about the concerns you may have. You are often asked to rate how important these concerns are to you. It could help you decide what to discuss first during the assessment.

Once you have completed the assessment, your Clinical Nurse Specialist will discuss your needs, maybe face-to-face in a clinic or over the phone. During the discussion, you and your Clinical Nurse Specialist will agree on the best ways to manage your needs and concerns. They will write down what you have decided in a document called a care plan.  They may write it during the discussion. Or they may make notes and send them to you afterwards. Your care plan will record the following:

  • The main concerns you talked about
  • Suggestions and actions to help you manage your concerns
  • Services that may be able to support you, and any referrals that are made
  • What is already being done to help – for example, the services you are already using
  • Information about who to contact if you need more help
  • The details of other health or social care professionals with whom you have agreed to share the information.

You may not wish to complete the holistic needs assessment at this time. The care you receive will not be affected in any way, and we will be happy to discuss this again in the future

 Health and wellbeing information and support also include:

  • Access to the Macmillan Information & Support Centre to find out what support is available in the community, e.g., practical, financial, and how to access it
  • Help with understanding cancer and its treatment and how to manage its impact through videos and workshops run by healthcare professionals at St George’s and in the community.
  • Attend wellbeing activities which are great opportunities for you and your carers to get together with others affected by cancer.