The Symptomatic Breast Centre at Galway University Hospital is a purpose built facility designed with an emphasis on client comfort and safety. It is wheelchair accessible and most special requirements including language and visual aids are available. It is equipped with the latest equipment and staffed by specialised administrative, nursing, radiological and clinical staff.
The reception area includes a T.V., water cooler, drinks machine and toilet facilities. Here clients are registered for the various clinics that take place from Monday to Friday including clinics run by the surgeon, radiologist, genetic counsellor and breast care nurses.
The clinical area consists of 8 examination suites, each with access to digital radiology and laboratory results.
There is a separate Radiology area with its own waiting room and changing facilities. It is equipped with a fully digital mammography suite and state-of the-art ultrasound machines. Both the clinical and radiology areas are equipped for biopsy procedures under local anaesthetic. The breast care nurse team has a custom designed facility which includes counselling rooms with video facility and light refreshments.
The centre also incorporates the offices of NBCRI (National Breast Cancer Research Institute). This voluntary based charity works to raise awareness of breast cancer, fundraises to improve cancer services and conducts research to determine the cause of breast cancer and advance the treatment for patients.
There are particular and unique geographical circumstances applying to Donegal. This is reflected in north/south co-operation in the provision of radiotherapy from Belfast.
On a sole exception basis, the Managed Cancer Control Network in the West will therefore be permitted to enter into outreach service delivery in Letterkenny as an additional activity. This exception is subject to:
The core case volumes at Galway meeting the minimum criteria (not taking into account any remote care caseload arising from this provision)
All other QA (Quality Assurance) criteria being satisfied on the same basis as for care delivered in Galway
Services to be provided by staff attached to the Galway Cancer Centre
Integrated clinical governance provided by the Galway Centre
Outreach activity, if undertaken, should be incorporated in rigorous process and outcome audit as though the activity took place at Galway. This is to ensure that the provision of such an outreach service does not serve to place patients availing of it at any disadvantage compared with patients treated in Galway
The potential to meet the needs of cancer patents in Donegal through North-South initiatives, such as the Belfast Radiation Oncology service, must be optimised and fully facilitated.
How to get here
Our Cancer Care Team
Contact Information
Services Provided
Patient Information
Research
Symptomatic Breast Unit at Galway University Hospital has a very active clinical trials programme under the guidance of Dr Maccon Keane. This receives considerable funding from Health Research Board. They are several breast cancer trials open including chemoprevention (preventing breast cancer in at risk women) as well as therapy. Professors Michael Kerin and Paul Donnellan also function as the principal investigators in national breast cancer trials and the unit overall has been the principal recruiter to several trials nationally. In radiation oncology, the unit is the principal recruiter to partial breast radiation trails and is aligned with NSABP.
Last updated on: 11 / 01 / 2011