Challenges for the clinical nurse specialist in uro-oncology care

Cancer is a complex illness that over the years has provoked much fear and speculation for patients, their relatives and health professionals. Emphasis has been placed on cancer management from the point of diagnosis, as well as treatments and their associated risks. As a result of increased technology and improved treatment modalities, more people are now surviving cancer and go on to live longer and healthier lives. While such an achievement is commendable, it places a significant strain on the healthcare economy. The Cancer Reform Strategy acknowledges that the management of cancers in the UK warrants clear definitive protocols and guidelines, to ensure a strategy that is capable of achieving the desired outcomes for those individuals who are affected by the disease. Integral to this objective is the multidisciplinary team, in which the role of the cancer nurse specialist is fundamental to achieving holistic patient outcomes. However, this article addresses the challenges of a uro-oncology clinical nurse specialist from a conceptual, as well as a personal, perspective. It focuses on the role that is specific to the management of patients who are diagnosed with urological cancers.