Recurrent breast cancer patients ‘need liaison nurse’

Women dealing with the distressing news that their breast cancer has come back and facing further treatment need specialist support in the form of a dedicated nurse, according to a leading cancer doctor.

Dr Séamus O’Reilly, a consultant oncologist at Cork University Hospital (CUH), said women with metastatic (or recurrent) breast cancer, where the disease has spread from the breast to other parts of the body, frequently had to navigate their way between a range of specialties dealing with anything up to 20 medical professionals, including in oncology, radiotherapy, surgery, pain management, palliative care and occupational therapy.

Dr O’Reilly, who is head of the Oncology Clinical Trials unit at CUH where he leads a national study of the needs of women with metastatic breast cancer, said international studies had shown that having a dedicated nurse to support these patients worked very well.