North London Cancer Network

This has been a busy year for the Network. The Chairmanship passed from the hands of Stephen Harland to Ronald Miller in September 2006. During this period, we have managed to establish, approve and implement new guidelines for the treatment of bladder cancer, testicular cancer, penile cancer and renal cancer which have been implemented throughout the Network.

The two approved tumour centres, UCLH and Chase Farm, have begun to centralise major pelvic and renal surgery on their sites. The operations are now being performed by named surgeons.

In the Northern Centre at Chase Farm, approved surgeons from NMUH, Barnet and PAH all attend at Chase Farm to do the major cancer surgeries. (I.O.G. determined renal cases, cystectomies and radical prostatectomies).

There are still problems with the centralisation of the centre at UCLH. The Whittington surgeons (Mr Miller and Mr Nathan) now regularly attend at UCLH to do all the major cancer cases from the Whittington. This centralisation has been effective; we are still waiting for RFH to centralise its cases into UCLH.

Mr Miller has drawn up more robust guidelines for the cancer centre. These have been negotiated, discussed and approved with the management team at UCLH. The arrangement at the Whittington is now working satisfactorily but it is envisaged that RFH cases will move into the centre in the year 2007. These negotiations have proved very difficult and protracted and have not progressed over the years. There now seems to be some significant movement in this direction.