Chemotherapy

Your doctor at The Berkshire Cancer Centre has prescribed a course of treatment for you. You may be feeling anxious about how the treatment may affect you. This section tells you about chemotherapy and the chemotherapy service at The Berkshire Cancer Centre. We hope the information on this webpage will answer most of your questions and help you discuss your treatment with the doctors and nurses. Our medical and nursing staff are here to answer any questions you or your family may have.

The majority of chemotherapy is given as a day treatment. This means that you come in for your treatment and can go home on the same day. In some cases, for example, where a longer treatment is required or because of the nature of a particular cancer, patients need to be admitted to hospital as an impatient for chemotherapy.

As your treatment progresses, you will always be able to ask your team whatever you need to know.

Please watch the short introductory video by Macmillan below, which shows information about having chemotherapy as an outpatient:

Have a look at the links and information on the right-hand side for further information.

Chemotherapy Helplines

If you need to speak to a chemotherapy nurse for advice about your treatment or side effects, please call:

• King Edward Ward: 0118 322 7464
  Monday - Friday 8.30am - 5.00pm
• Bracknell Chemotherapy: 01344 662 900
  Tuesday - Thursday 8.30am - 4.30pm
• Adelaide Ward: 0118 322 5225
  Emergency out of hours - 24hrs/7 days

Please call on the chemotherapy helpline numbers if you have any queries, but it is particularly important if you are experiencing any of the following:

• Feeling very unwell or having symptoms of infection, even if you don’t have a temperature
• Nausea and vomiting that is not controlled by your medication
• Diarrhoea that lasts longer than 24 hours or is very severe
• A sore mouth that prevents you eating or drinking
• A persistent cough
• Blood in your urine or stools
• Bleeding not controlled by general first-aid
• Bruises or small blood spots which appear on your body
• Pain not controlled by medication.
• Any issues with your PICC / Hickman / Port