Upper Gastrointestinal (UGI) Cancer Service

We are a dedicated team committed to supporting patients and their loved ones who have been diagnosed with cancer of the Stomach or Oesophagus (food pipe).

Comprehensive Care Throughout Your Journey

We provide support at all stages of your pathway, from your initial referral and investigations, through to specialist treatment and recovery.

We work closely with our expert partners to ensure seamless, high-quality care:

Surgery: We liaise with colleagues at Salford Royal Hospital, where surgical patients receive their operations.
Cancer Treatment: We partner with The Christie Hospital, where patients receive appropriate oncological treatments.

Your specific treatment plan may include Surgery, Radiotherapy, and/or Chemotherapy. This is determined by your diagnosis, the stage of your cancer, and other individual health factors.

Our Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT)

Your care plan is collaboratively decided by our specialist Multi-Disciplinary Team, which brings together a full range of expertise in Upper GI cancers:

Consultant Surgeons
Gastroenterologists (Digestive System Specialists)
Macmillan Clinical Nurse Specialists (Dedicated patient support and nursing expertise)
Oncologists (Cancer Treatment Experts)
Radiologists (Imaging and Scan Experts)
Pathologists (Biopsy and Cell Analysis Experts)
Other Professionals with specialist knowledge of Upper GI conditions.

Weekly Upper GI Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) meeting

All patients with a confirmed Upper GI (UGI) cancer are thoroughly reviewed and discussed at our dedicated, weekly UGI Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) meeting, which takes place every Friday.

The purpose of the MDT

The MDT is the core decision-making forum where a collective group of experts collaborates to determine the optimal diagnostic and treatment plan for each individual patient.

Patient Impact Statement

The purpose of this form is to give you the opportunity to let the MDT know what is important to you right now. By asking what you think about and want now and in the future helps us to understand support decisions when planning your care.

The team of specialists

The MDT ensures every angle of a patient's case is considered by bringing together the following essential specialists:

Specialist	Role
Surgeons	Experts in surgical intervention.
Gastroenterologists	Specialists in the digestive system.
Macmillan Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS)	Nurses providing dedicated support and expertise for UGI cancer patients.
Oncologists	Experts in cancer treatments (e.g., chemotherapy, radiotherapy).
Radiologists	Experts in interpreting scans and X-rays.
Pathologists	Experts in examining biopsies and cells to confirm diagnosis.
Other Professionals	Specialists with specific knowledge relevant to UGI conditions.

This comprehensive approach ensures that every patient receives a treatment plan tailored by a wide range of professional perspectives.

Your Upper GI Nursing Support Team

We are a dedicated team based at The Royal Oldham Hospital, here to provide you with help, support, and a direct point of contact throughout your Upper GI journey.

Where We Provide Care: We offer clinics at the Community Diagnostic Centre in Oldham and visit inpatients at Rochdale Infirmary and Fairfield General Hospital (Bury).

Our Comprehensive Support Network: We work closely with our surgical colleagues at Salford Royal and with consultants here at The Royal Oldham. When you need specialist treatments, we coordinate your care with The Christie Hospital for Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy.

More Than Just Treatment: Our core focus is providing care and comfort. This includes Best Supportive Care, where we proactively manage any symptoms you may have, even if you are not undergoing active treatment. We ensure seamless care by liaising with your GP, the District Nursing teams, and Specialist Palliative Care in your community.

Enhancing Best Supportive Care (BSC)

Our commitment to patients receiving Best Supportive Care (BSC) involves providing key tools to ensure your needs are met and you feel informed and supported:

Holistic Needs Assessments (HNA)

We offer a Holistic Needs Assessment (HNA), which is a straightforward questionnaire designed to identify any concerns you are currently experiencing. This allows us to focus our support specifically on your most pressing needs, whether they are physical, emotional, social, or spiritual. You will receive a copy of your care plan which is shared with your GP and community teams.

End of treatment summary

We provide an End of Treatment Summary, a crucial document created for you that summarises your care journey. This document includes:

Key Information: Details about your investigations, treatments received, and potential long-term side effects.
Knowledge and Empowerment: It is designed to improve your understanding of your condition, the care you've received, and the choices made.
Coordination of Care: It clarifies who the best person is to contact for help and can be easily shared with your GP and other healthcare professionals involved in your care.

Extended support network

We maintain close links with invaluable external resources to ensure all your needs are addressed:

Macmillan Information Centre: Provides extensive resources and information.
Maggie’s Centres: Offers a wide range of practical, emotional, and social support to all cancer patients and their families.

These resources work together to ensure you have comprehensive support, clear information, and easy access to help throughout your time with the service.

Community and well-being support

To further enhance patient support, the team facilitates regular events focused on peer connection and holistic well-being:

Monthly Patient Support Group: The team hosts a support group on the last Thursday of every month at the Maggie’s Cancer Centre located on The Royal Oldham Hospital site. This provides a consistent space for patients to connect, share experiences, and receive mutual support.
Bi-Yearly Health and Well-being Event: A larger health and well-being event is organised twice a year, offering broader resources and focus on holistic health.

Maggie's Centre Network

The team utilises the local Maggie's Centre on The Royal Oldham Hospital site for their monthly group. It's important to note that Maggie's also has a centre located at The Christie Hospital, along with other sites across the country, forming a wide network of support available to cancer patients.

Tests we may offer our patients include:
Blood tests- Blood may be taken and tested
Gastroscopy- A procedure that looks inside the oesophagus (gullet), the stomach and the first part of the bowel called the duodenum. Biopsies can also be taken during this procedure if needed.
CT scan (computed tomography) - This allows doctors to get detailed pictures of the inside of the body. This test is not painful or invasive.
PET Scan (positron emission tomography)- This type of CT scanner that provides a different type of picture to a normal CT scanner. This scan can be performed at several sites around the country.
Endoscopic Ultrasound Scan (EUS)- Similar to Gastroscopy, where a flexible camera is inserted to allow doctors to look at the gullet and stomach in detail; however, this camera has an ultrasound probe at the end
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)- similarly to CT scans, this allows doctors to get detailed pictures of the inside of the body, but can sometimes provide further detail.
Laparoscopy- A laparoscopy is a keyhole operation that is carried out under a general anaesthetic. It is sometimes needed to look around inside the abdomen and make sure there are no small areas of disease that could be missed on a scan.
CPEX Test (cardio-pulmonary exercise test)- This is performed at Salford Royal Hospital for patients prior to major surgery.

Treatments may include:

Surgery, Chemotherapy, Radiotherapy or a combination of these treatments. We also offer Oesophageal and/or Pyloric stenting.

Your first steps with the Upper GI Team

Following your initial gastroscopy, you will be invited to two key appointments designed to guide you through the next phase of your care:

1. Specialist nurse clinic

You may be invited to a clinic with one of our Specialist Nurses. This introductory appointment is designed to:

Introduce you to our dedicated team.
Discuss what you can expect in the coming weeks.
Assess your fitness for potential treatments.
Discuss your preferences and wishes regarding your care.

2. Consultant appointment

You will also be offered an outpatient appointment to meet with one of our Upper GI Consultants. The primary goal of this meeting is to discuss the outcome of your weekly MDT meeting and outline your personalised treatment plan.

Preparing for uour consultation

These consultations are important and can be lengthy (around 60 minutes). To help you get the most out of your time with us, we strongly advise the following:

Bring Support: We will likely be discussing sensitive information, including a potential cancer diagnosis. We advise that you bring a relative or friend along for emotional support.
Specialist Nurse Support: A Macmillan UGI Specialist Nurse will also be present during the consultation to offer you direct support and answer any nursing-related questions.
Medication List: Please bring a current list of all your medications. This is essential for us to accurately plan your future care.
Hospital Transport: If you require hospital transport to attend your appointment, please contact the nursing team directly to arrange this.

Please Note: While we schedule appointments for approximately 60 minutes, they may not always run exactly to time. We dedicate the necessary time to ensure all patients have the opportunity to express their worries, concerns, and ask all their questions to the consultants.

Upper GI office, Marjorie Lees Building, The Royal Oldham Hospital, Rochdale Road, Oldham OL1 2JH

Accessing the Upper GI Service: Your referralpathway

Patients are typically referred to our Upper GI Service through two main routes:

1. GP Referral

If your GP believes your symptoms require specialist investigation, they will refer you to our service. What happens next is determined by the nature of your symptoms:

Direct to Tests: Some patients, depending on their symptoms, may be scheduled directly for necessary tests, such as an endoscopy (further details provided below).
Initial Appointment: Other patients will receive an appointment with a member of our team. This consultation may be held face-to-face or via a telephone appointment.

The decision regarding investigations is taken following a telephone assessment of your symptoms with one of the UGI specialist nurses

2. Internal Referrals

We also accept referrals from our internal hospital colleagues, including:

The Emergency Department
Other Hospital Specialities

These teams refer patients to us when they determine that our specialist Upper GI team is best suited to investigate and manage the patient's symptoms.

Our goal is to ensure a prompt and appropriate start to your diagnostic journey based on the urgency and nature of your symptoms.

Cancer Research UK http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/

Macmillan Cancer Support https://www.macmillan.org.uk/

OCHRE | The Oesophageal Cancer Charity https://ochrecharity.org.uk/

Oesophageal cancer Oesophageal cancer Macmillan Cancer Support

Gastroenterology - A guide to having an Upper GI Endoscopy :: Northern Care Alliance

Gastroenterology - Upper Gastrointestinal (UGI) Pathway - What happens next? :: Northern Care Alliance

Gastroenterology - Gastroscopy :: Northern Care Alliance

Gastroenterology - Conscious sedation for an Endoscopy procedure :: Northern Care Alliance

Gastroenterology - Role of the Upper GI Specialist Nurse and Key Worker :: Northern Care Alliance

Gastroenterology - Staging Laparoscopy :: Northern Care Alliance

Gastroenterology - Macmillan Upper Gastrointestinal (GI) Specialist Nurse :: Northern Care Alliance