Women's Health Initiative

Funding support of €400,000 from the Irish Cancer Society has been the catalyst for a total investment of €890,000 over two years by a consortium also involving the HSE, The Mater Private Hospital, the National Cancer Control Programme, Breakthrough Cancer Research and Pfizer Ireland.

As part of the initiative, the ‘Women’s Cancer Survivorship: Supporting and Innovating for Change’ programme led by Medical Oncologist UCC Professor Roisin Connolly at Cork University Hospital and the ‘Life After Cancer Clinic’ (LACC) led by UCD Professor of Gynae-Oncology Donal Brennan at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital will provide the first dedicated clinics for female cancer survivors nationwide.

Both programmes will coordinate the delivery of a range of general and specialist health supports for female cancer survivors while also using latest technology to make the services more widely accessible for the initial chosen participants regardless of their location.

Cork Pilot

Developed in collaboration with researchers from the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Centre at Johns Hopkins in the US, and supported by Prof Josephine Hegarty from the UCC School of Nursing and Midwifery, the ‘Women’s Cancer Survivorship’ programme will work with women at Cork University Hospital and regional hospitals who have completed their primary cancer therapy.

Using symptom management pathways developed as part of the programme, those using the new Survivorship Clinic will receive a Survivorship Plan and education on the management of important symptoms, and will be needs-assessed for referrals to appropriate specialists.

Dublin Pilot

Based in the Mater Misericordia University Hospital, St Vincent’s University Hospital and The National Maternity Hospital this nurse-led pilot will initially focus on women who are living with and beyond breast and gynaecological cancer. It has been developed in consultation with Professor Martha Hickey of the University of Melbourne, and with strong Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) participation.

The work of the pilot clinic includes:

• A ‘Menopause After Cancer’ study aiming to use a digital intervention for sleep disturbance and improved communication about illness between patients and their partners or significant other
• A diagnosis delivery project aimed at supporting staff and women in the delivery of diagnoses in a more organised, clear and compassionate manner
• A nurse-led survivorship clinic using a stepped-care model supported by resources within the hospitals along with community-based supports, initially focussing on cervical cancer for the first phase of the project.

Galway Pilot

In 2022, a team of researchers at the University of Galway and Galway University Hospital, led by Consultant Surgeon Prof Aoife Lowery brought the LYSA trial to the west of Ireland, where it will be trialed by selected participants who have undergone cancer treatment at the hospital.

Along with providing active support for women’s post-treatment symptoms, the Galway arm of the Women’s Health Initiative will have a novel added element whereby participants’ heart health will be monitored and tested for side-effects associated with their treatment. It is expected that this will improve the understanding of any possible link between treatment, particularly chemotherapy for breast cancer, and heart conditions, including who may be vulnerable or at risk, so that this can be addressed more effectively before and during treatment.

Aiming to improve survivors’ quality of life

Over the course of the two-year pilot phase the Women’s Health Initiative will be monitored for effectiveness and potential improvements based on patient experiences and outcomes.

By focussing on this vital yet undervalued aspect of patient treatment pathways the Women’s Health Initiative aims to ultimately decrease the frequency and burden of symptoms, helping to empower women to manage their side effects and bringing about improvements in health-related quality of life as a result of evidence-based treatments.

Furthermore, it will provide specialised training and development for a range of medical and support staff based at various programme pilot sites across Cork and Dublin, who will benefit from knowledge-sharing with leading global experts in the area of cancer survivorship.

The Women’s Health Initiative is supported by the National Cancer Control Programme as part of the National Cancer Strategy 2017-2026.