The Cancer Treatment Helpline – a retrospective study of the NHS Tayside Experience

Abstract

Background: Treatment related toxicity and delays in the management of this toxicity can impact cancer patient outcomes. In Scotland, a national cancer helpline was established to provide triage assessment for patients receiving systemic anticancer therapy (SACT) in an attempt to minimize delays in toxicity management. In this article we describe the use and impact of the helpline in our region over the last 5 years.Methods: Patients who contacted the NHS Tayside cancer helpline between the 1st January 2016 and 31st December 2020 were retrospectively identified. Patient demographics as well as the reason and outcome of each call was recorded. A descriptive analysis was performed.Results: 6,562 individual patients received SACT and 8,397 calls were recorded during the time period. Median age of callers was 63 years (range 17-98) and 59.2% were female. Use of the helpline increased by 83.6% between 2016 and 2020, driven by an increase in in-hours calls. 41% of calls required review by a healthcare professional only, 24% required review and admission and the remaining 35% telephone advice only. The majority of cases (85%) were either assessed or advised solely by oncology. The proportional use of General Practitioner services has decreased. Conclusions: The helpline provides a way for patients to report symptoms directly to their clinical team and receive appropriate specialist advice at an early stage. We demonstrate that most of these calls can be managed solely by our oncology team. This system can reduce pressure on other parts of the local health system.