Working Life: A growing number of treatments for cancer are tablet treatments

Jarushka Naidoo, RCSI professor and consultant medical oncologist at Beaumont Hospital, Dublin

Professor Jarushka Naidoo is a clinical medical oncologist at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin, a lung cancer clinical lead with Cancer Trials Ireland, an adjunct assistant professor of oncology at Johns Hopkins Hospital in America and an expert in immunotherapy.

7.30am

My dad arrives at my house to look after my four-year-old daughter, freeing me up to start my day at Beaumont Hospital and RCSI.

8am

Every Monday morning, the medical oncology team at Beaumont Hospital (consultants, nurses, trainee doctors) reviews patients admitted under oncology and works as a team to plan and deliver their care.

9am

A growing number of treatments for cancer are tablet treatments rather than intravenous medicines. These are mainly ‘targeted therapies’ or may also be hormonal therapies or chemotherapy. We have a dedicated clinic in the oncology day unit to care for patients on these new therapies.

12 noon

All the health professionals involved in the care of lung cancer partake part in a multidisciplinary team meeting to discuss and plan the management of new cases. We discuss 20-40 cases each week.

1.30pm

I return to the oncology day unit to oversee a lunchtime teaching session for our budding young oncologists. It’s essential for all members of the team to keep up their skills and learn about new treatments.

2.30pm

I head to our Cancer Clinical Trials unit at Beaumont, where I work with the team to complete applications for new clinical trials offering new treatment options for patients. I also complete paperwork for patients on trials. There are 10 open clinical trials for patients with lung cancer currently in Ireland. At any one time, more than 50 patients may be taking part at our hospital.

3pm

If my patients are unwell and in hospital, I visit them and meet with their families.

5pm

At day’s end, my focus switches to my RCSI work, which includes completing my own research work, supervising cancer research students, completing research papers, and attending a formal online research meeting with colleagues at John Hopkins University in the US, where I’m an adjunct professor.

6.30pm

I head home to my husband and little girl. Our favourite way of spending time together is baking while watching The Great British Bake Off. Our dog Diego is tiny. He runs at our feet and doesn’t need to be walked.

• For more information on cancer trials currently taking place and the work of Cancer Trials Ireland, see www.cancertrials.ie