Time before starting chemotherapy

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Hi I had debulking surgery the end of October for ovarian cancer at follow up with my consultant I was told the cancer was stage 1c and was to start chemotherapy of 6 rounds,I've received a letter and my first appointment with the chemotherapy team will be 5th February,this is almost 15 weeks after my operation,as you can imagine I'm concerned at the wait but don't seem to have got a straight answer as to the delay,I'd be interested to know if this is a realistic time to wait or should I be pushing more for reasons as to why it's not happening sooner

Many thanks

  • Hi Fluffycat69,

    Thanks for getting in touch and welcome to the online community. My Name is Fiona and I’m one of the Macmillan cancer information nurses.

    I see from your profile that you have joined the ovarian cancer forum. I hope you are finding it helpful.

    I hope you have recovered well from your surgery.

    You can see from our information that the timeframe for starting chemotherapy is given as 4 to 12 weeks. To understand why there is a delay with your treatment you would need to speak to your treatment team.

    If you are having issues getting the information you need then you could ask the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) to help you with this.

    You may find our Raising your Voice toolkit useful.

    I hope this information helps. Please feel free to get back in touch if you want more information or support.

    Best wishes,

    Fiona P,

    Cancer Information Nurse Specialist 

    You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email

    Ref: FP/LJ