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Breast - USC (2WW)

Checked: 23-11-2022 by Vicky Ryan Next Review: 23-11-2024

Service Overview

The Suspected Breast Cancer Service runs at NBT. This service is for patients who meet the Breast Urgent Suspected Cancer (USC) criteria. The service offers consultation with diagnostics and onward referral for treatment as required.

At time of referral please issue the BNSSG Understanding Your Urgent Fast Track Referral patient information leaflet.

Referrals to NBT

Referrals must be submitted using the Suspected Breast Cancer Referral Form via eReferral.

Please refer via: Urgent Suspected Cancer - Breast Malignancies Triage Service - Southmead - RVJ Select 'send for triage' in eRS rather than selecting a date and time for dummy appointment.

To try and ensure the clinic receives the most appropriate referrals, additional information on breast care has been added to Remedy on the following:

Axillary masses
Breast Pain - this page includes information on the direct to mammogram pathway
Male Breast Symptoms
Nipple conditions

The USC (2WW) criteria are listed on the referral form and include a section for non-2WW symptomatic breast referral (should be sent via eReferral outside of USC pathway but all patients normally seen within 2 weeks).

Referrals should include:

A description of size and location of any lump
Details of any mammogram performed in the last 3 years
If the patient is being re-referred
Is there a family history of breast cancer.

If advised to refer into MDT, then please submit a USC (2WW) referral to the relevant secondary care team who will ensure that all the required information is available to enable an effective MDT discussion.

For patients with an acute breast abscess then please see the Mastitis and Breast Abscess section

Transgender Patients who have had top surgery/chest surgery will usually still have some breast/chest tissue, if there are changes in this tissue/symptoms of breast cancer they should be referred for further assessment. Further information including patient information on chest changes during transition and checking guidance for trans and non-binary people here. Please also see Gender Identity (Remedy BNSSG ICB)

Service Overview - RUH

Services provided by the Breast unit at RUH:

A comprehensive symptomatic service for women and men of all ages with breast problems
Referral centre for the further assessment and treatment of breast cancer from the National Screening Programme
A screening service for asymptomatic women at increased risk of developing breast cancer, i.e. those with a strong family history or recent previous history of breast cancer
Breast reconstruction service - in combination with surgery required for breast cancer
Specialist breast care nurses, providing information, support and aftercare service including prosthesis fitting.

Comprehensive patient information is available on the RUH Breast Unit web site:

http://www.ruh.nhs.uk/patients/services/breast_unit/index.asp?menu_id=1

Contact details

Telephone: 01225 825882

Reception is open 9:00am – 5:00pm, Monday to Friday.
An answer phone will be in use out-of-hours, weekends and bank holidays.

RUH - Referral Guidance

Referring patients to the Breast Unit at RUH Bath - please see the referral steps on how to select the clinic in e-Referral to RUH

Please see the RUH website for referral guidelines and forms.

Clinical Guidance

See link to NICE Cancer Guidelines (2015) for suspected Breast Cancer

Efforts are made to ensure the accuracy and agreement of these guidelines, including any content uploaded, referred to or linked to from the system. However, BNSSG ICB cannot guarantee this. This guidance does not override the individual responsibility of healthcare professionals to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of the individual patient, in consultation with the patient and/or guardian or carer, in accordance with the mental capacity act, and informed by the summary of product characteristics of any drugs they are considering. Practitioners are required to perform their duties in accordance with the law and their regulators and nothing in this guidance should be interpreted in a way that would be inconsistent with compliance with those duties.

Information provided through Remedy is continually updated so please be aware any printed copies may quickly become out of date.