Acute oncology service: assessing the need and its implications.

Cancer patients often have complex and difficult inpatient diagnostic and treatment pathways that involve many different specialities within secondary care. With current severe resource constraints, improvements in outcomes and patient experience need to be both cost-efficient and effective. We review the reports that will shape national cancer care in coming years and use data gathered from our own hospital to highlight important issues in the development of in-patient cancer services and the emergence of a new specialty; acute oncology.