The Gynaecological Cancer Managed Clinical Network (MCN) was the first of the Networks to be developed in the West of Scotland. Gynaecology includes cancer of the ovary, endometrium, cervix, vagina and vulva. The ambition of the Network is to deliver the best available treatment and care to every gynaecological cancer patient in the West of Scotland.
The MCN brings together all healthcare professionals who treat gynaecological cancer into a recognised multi-disciplinary team (MDT) responsible for assessment, diagnosis and treatment of patients with gynaecological cancers, making sure that every patient gets specialist treatment when it is required. This MDT includes the doctors who work in the local hospitals, where most patients are first referred to, as well as the specialist surgeons and oncologists from the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre. This team also includes Specialist Nurses who are the main contact for patients throughout their treatment as well as radiologists and pathologists who provide very important information to help diagnosis and to assess what type of treatment is best for individual patients. The MDT meet every week to discuss all new cases of cancer and to review the treatment being provided to patients.
Members of the MDT work in hospitals across the region, so to make it easier for these regular meetings to take place video links have been provided in each of the hospitals. This allows doctors, nurses and other healthcare staff to ‘meet’ each week without having to leave their own hospital site. This system is very important in making the MCN work effectively to deliver the best quality treatment and care to all patients.