London Oncology Clinic : Clarity

The consultation at the London Oncology Clinic was very positive. The consultant we met with was very friendly, understanding and honest. At no point during the meeting did he try and sell the clinics services or deter us from using the NHS. My brother in law (No. 2) and I found this so reassuring and a complete contrast to the Dove clinic’s antics.

He was surprised that my father had not already started 1st line Chemotherapy and did not agree with the NHS odds of 1 in 20 of it being effective. He discouraged the use of Tarceva as my father did not match the profile of a person who would most likely benefit from it (non-smoker, female). In addition to this, Tarceva was nearly always used as a follow treatment where chemotherapy and radiotherapy had failed, not as a first line treatment. In addition to this, the consultant explained that the first line NSCLC chemotherapy agents to tackle sqaumous cell cancer offered by the NHS was the same as what he would offer privately. It would be better to push for this via the NHS rather than pay for the same treatment.

I then explained that my father was due to go through a knee replacement operation next week. This actually changed things. The consultant explained that my father could not go through Chemotherapy whilst recovering from the surgery. Instead, he suggested we start Tarceva during recovery and move onto Chemotherapy once my father is string enough after approximately 3 -4 weeks. At the end of the day, there is a small chance that Tarceva may work and it is better to try something that nothing.

So finally, we have a plan of attack and my father can go ahead with the knee surgery and we get to try out Tarceva.