How is it arranged?

Before receiving chemotherapy treatment for the first time, patients must always be evaluated first by their oncology team. This assessment is carried out in person by the oncologists specialising in that type of tumour, as well as the specific nursing team for that pathology. Evaluations of successive chemotherapy administrations are by telephone or in person, by the medical or nursing team.  

The purpose of the assessment is to check that there are no contraindications in receiving the treatment. Then, once it is confirmed that everything can go ahead, the doctor will give the approval for the hospital pharmacy to prepare the relevant chemotherapy treatment.  

If the team identifies any contraindication during treatment (for example, due to a side effect) which requires the treatment to be delayed, the patient will be scheduled to have new visits.  

For intravenous medication, from the moment the doctor confirms the treatment, the hospital pharmacy may need just a few hours to prepare the treatment, and administration can begin. For this reason, chemotherapy is often started the day after the doctor/nurse visit. For an oral medication, after confirmation, the drugs can be collected from the hospital pharmacy.  

On many occasions, if it is intravenous chemotherapy, an analysis is required before treatment administration can start. Daily tests are not performed in oral chemotherapy, but occur weekly, fortnightly or monthly, depending on the chemotherapy and the tolerance shown by the patient in previous cycles.