Gynaecological cancer

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About our gynaecological cancer services

Our specialist team at the Westmead Centre for Gynaecological Cancer work to provide complete care for women from planning for treatment, having surgery, and providing other therapies needed to treat your cancer.

We also offer a range of psychosocial support services as we know how a diagnosis and treatment can have an impact on you and your family.

Our services include:

major and minor surgery
outpatient treatments
specialists in nutrition, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, mental health and social services.
the option to take part in research projects and clinical trials to help improve outcomes for you and other women.

Referrals and appointments

Referrals

You will usually be referred to our service by your general gynaecologist or local doctor. We receive referrals from all over NSW. If you live outside Sydney, we work with your local cancer service to provide ongoing care and support.

Appointments

Once you have been referred to us you will be given an appointment with one of the specialist Gynaecological Oncologists.

All appointments can be made by calling the Westmead Centre for Gynaecological Cancer on (02) 8890 6801 between 8am and 4pm Monday to Friday, except public holidays.

For your first appointment please bring:

Medicare card
Pension or concession card
Details of private health fund
Referral letter
All test results including blood tests, scans, ultrasounds and x-rays.

It is important that you bring the x-ray or scan films with you, not just the report. If you have already had a biopsy or surgery, please remind your referring doctor to provide the operation report and any pathology results.

Planning for hospital

Patients who travel more than 100km for treatment are eligible for a refund of some of the accommodation and travel expenses through the Isolated Patients Travel and Accommodation Assistance Scheme (IPTAAS)

Learn more about preparing for hospital and how to stay safe and involved in your care at Western Sydney hospitals.

Pre-admission clinic

If surgery is needed, you may be asked to attend the Pre-Admission Clinic about a week before your day of surgery. You will be seen by an anaesthetist, a hospital doctor and a nurse.

You will be able to ask any questions and receive information about your hospital stay and care after discharge from hospital.

Our team and other specialists

Learn more about our team who provide specialist care and services to care for women with gynaecological malignancies (cancer).

Our team

Team members	Role
Professor Alison Brand AM – Head of Department	Alison is a certified gynaecological oncologist and leads the gynaecological cancer term at Westmead Hospital. She specialises in the care of women with gynaecological malignancies (cancer).
Clinical Nurse Consultant	A specialist nurse in gynaecological cancer and is a resource person for patients and staff.
Social Worker	Provides counselling for women, couples and families, and advice on community services and entitlements.
Clinical Psychologist	Experienced in the psychosocial aspects of gynaecological cancers and can provide psychological treatments for women, couples and families having emotional, sexual or relationship problems.
Registered Nurses and Endorsed Enrolled Nurses	Provide bed side care and education while you are in hospital.
Physiotherapists	Provide rehabilitation and education with mobility. See Physiotherapy service for more information.
Dietitians	Assess and manage your dietary needs while being treated for cancer.
Occupational Therapists	Assess and recommend supports and adaptive equipment to manage the activities of daily living.

Other specialists

Our team meets weekly with other specialists who care for women with gynaecological cancer, including:

Radiation Oncologists specialise in the use of radiation therapy for the treatment of cancers.
Medical Oncologists specialise in the use of chemotherapy (drugs) for the treatment of cancers.
Familial Cancer Service provides advice (and genetic testing if needed) to families with concerns about a family history of cancer. A referral will be given to most women with specific types of ovarian cancer.
The Supportive and Palliative Medicine team works to help patients with a life-limiting illness have the best quality of life for as long as possible by:
- optimising patients' comfort, function and social supports
- supporting patients' families and carers
- helping patients manage physical symptoms, their emotional and spiritual needs.

Surgery

This section has helpful information for patients having gynaecological surgery at one of our hospitals. For more information contact the Westmead Centre for Gynaecological Cancer on (02) 8890 6801

In case of emergency

For urgent medical attention, always go to the emergency department of your nearest hospital. If you have recently been discharged from hospital, please take the discharge letter or any other information with you.

Day surgery

You may be booked into the Day Surgery Unit if you are having a surgical procedure that does not need overnight hospital care. Your surgeon will determine your need for either day stay or longer stay care for your surgery.

If your plan is for day surgery, you will receive a letter that tells you:

day and time for surgery
how to get to the Day Surgery Unit
what paperwork to bring to hospital
if you need an appointment with the pre-admission clinic.

We suggest you bring:

a small overnight bag with basic toiletries
the phone number of the person who will take you home
wear comfortable easy to dress clothes as you will need to change into a hospital gown for the surgery
place your personal belonging into the overnight bag.

Note:

The day before your surgery, please call the Day Surgery to confirm the time to arrive at the hospital.
When you are ready to go home from day surgery, you will need an adult to take you home and stay with you overnight.

Longer stay surgery

If you need a longer stay in hospital after your surgery, you will usually be cared for in the Women’s Health Ward by nurses who specialise in the care of women with gynaecological cancer and other gynaecological conditions.

The Women’s Health Ward is a female-only ward with single and 2-bed rooms. Your length of stay in hospital will depend on the type of surgery you had and your post-operative recovery.

We will discuss the length of stay in hospital with you before surgery and during your hospital stay.

Discharge from hospital after surgery

From the time we begin planning for your arrival to hospital we also plan for your discharge home. We want to ensure that all the correct supports are ready for you to go home safely.

Before coming to the hospital, talk with your family and support people about what help you may need while you are in hospital and when you go home.
Also, talk with your doctor and the pre-admission staff about what to expect when going home after surgery.
On the day of discharge, please arrange for family or friends to pick you up by 10am. If they are unable to be at the hospital by 10am, we will transfer you to the Patient Discharge Unit on Level 2 of the University Clinics where you can wait for their arrival.
You will be given detailed post-operative instructions and contact details for the unit staff should you have any concerns after discharge.
You will also be given a discharge letter for your local doctor. Your follow-up appointment will usually be made before your discharge.

Factsheets

Find a gynaecological cancer service

Use our Service Directory to find a health service near you.

Cancer support

There are many practical things to deal with when you have cancer. The Westmead Gynaecological Cancer Support Group provides information and education for women who have been treated for gynaecological cancers.

The group meets monthly from February to December in the Education Centre at Westmead Hospital.

Women can self-refer to our support group. For more information call (02) 8890 6801 or email WSLHD-Clinpsychsgynonc@health.nsw.gov.au to connect with the social worker or clinical psychologist for gynaecological cancer.

You can also:

read our coping with cancer at Christmas factsheet (PDF 248.52KB) (PDF 248.52KB)
find more cancer support resources online on the Cancer Institute NSW and Cancer Council NSW websites.

Clinical trials and research

Research is a very important part of care for women with gynaecological cancers. Our centre conducts research into the causes, treatments and outcomes of gynaecological cancer.

GynBiobank is an important resource for the department. The biobank is located in Westmead Hospital and stores participant samples and data for current and future research projects.

Our research includes laboratory research, led by Professor Anna deFazio and carried out in the Westmead Institute for Medical Research, through to psychosocial research and clinical trials.

We are affiliated with the University of Sydney and a member of the Sydney West Translational Cancer Research Centre.

We work to rapidly translate our research findings into new tests and treatments that will eventually be of direct benefit to our patients.

Learn more about research in Western Sydney LHD.

What is a clinical trial?

Cancer clinical trials are research studies in which people volunteer to test new ways to:
• Treat cancer
• Find and diagnose cancer
• Prevent cancer
• Manage symptoms of cancer or side effects from its treatment

Clinic Trials include:

treatment trials
quality of life trials
basic and laboratory research, which may include collection of tissue specimens
new drug treatment trials

You may be asked to participate in a clinical trial or research study. Participating in a clinical trial may allow you access to a new treatment before it is generally available.

All research studies and trials are approved and watched over by the Westmead Hospital Human Research Ethics Committee.

Taking part in any research project is voluntary, but very much appreciated. The team is always happy to discuss research projects or clinical trials with you.

Learn more about what it is like to take part in a clinical trial

Open clinical trials at Westmead

Endometrial cancer: EN.10 (TAPER)

De-escalation study of POLE/p53/NMP mutated endometrial cancer. Learn more about the Endometrial Cancer EN.10 (TAPER) trial

Endometrial cancer and ovarian cancer: Paragon II

Phase II basket study of an Aromatase inhibitor plus PI3KCA inhibitor or CDK4/6 inhibitor in women with hormone receptor positive recurrent/metastatic Gynaecological Neoplasms. Learn more about the Paragon II trial

Ovarian cancer: TUBA WISP II

TUBA-WISP II stands for TUBectomy with delayed oophorectomy as Alternative for risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy in high-risk Women to assess the Safety of Prevention.

This study aims to answer the question: Is removal of the fallopian tubes with delayed removal of the ovaries a safe alternative for the simultaneous removal of the fallopian tubes and ovaries in women at high inherited risk for ovarian cancer? Learn more about the TUBA WISP II study and trial

Ovarian cancer: GynBiobank

Gynae Oncology Biospecimen Bank at Westmead. For more details, visit the GynBiobank website

Donate to research

Your generous donations will contribute to our research program to improve the diagnosis and treatment of these aggressive cancers and improve the lives of women affected by gynaecological cancer.