Dr AlHilali Consultant Clinical Oncologist

Patient reading room

Start where
you are.

You do not need to know which topic to look for. Begin with the questions you have now.

These are ways into the information, not stages everyone goes through. Use any route, switch whenever you like, or browse the whole library.

I've just been diagnosed

First steps after a diagnosis.

Start with the next steps after diagnosis, then explore samples, reports and the terms used to describe the cancer. Read only what is useful to you now.

Laboratory benches with racks, glassware and sample-processing equipment at the NIH Clinical Research Center.
Laboratory equipment at the NIH Clinical Research Center, photographed in 2005. Context for investigations and laboratory work, not a photograph of your hospital or a particular diagnostic test. Proportionally resized and compressed; no crop.Photograph: Diane A. Reid, National Cancer Institute. · Source · Public domain

One place to begin

What happens after a cancer diagnosis?

Why more tests may be needed after diagnosis, how a treatment plan is discussed and what to ask at the next appointment.

Read the explanation3 min read

Follow your next question

  1. What is a biopsy, and why might I need one?3 min read
  2. What does a cancer pathology report tell us?3 min read
  3. Cancer stage and grade: what is the difference?7 min read
  4. Localised, locally advanced and metastatic cancer: what is the difference?3 min read
  5. What does prognosis mean in cancer, and why is it uncertain?7 min read

I have questions about scans

A scan result, in context.

Start with how treatment is assessed, or go straight to an explanation of the words in a report. The articles cannot interpret an individual scan.

A PET-CT scanner and patient table in an empty imaging room.
PET-CT is one of several imaging methods that may contribute to assessing treatment. The appropriate tests depend on the cancer and treatment.Photograph: Liz West · Source · CC BY 2.0

One place to begin

How do doctors know if cancer treatment is working?

How symptoms, examinations, blood tests and scans are combined to assess whether a cancer treatment is helping.

Read the explanation8 min read

Follow your next question

  1. Complete response, partial response, stable disease and progressive disease explained8 min read
  2. What does stable disease mean in cancer?6 min read
  3. Why are cancer scans not done more often?7 min read
  4. Scanxiety: coping with worry before a cancer scan7 min read

I'm considering treatment

Understand the thinking behind a plan.

Read about why plans differ, the main types of cancer drugs, consent and further opinions. Specialist articles sit within the diagnosis and treatment topic guide.

A radiotherapy professional preparing a medical linear accelerator in a treatment room.
A medical linear accelerator used to deliver external-beam radiotherapy. The exact design varies between treatment centres.Photograph: Guy Lebègue · Source · CC BY-SA 3.0Illustration from What is radiotherapy and how does it work?.

One place to begin

Why can two people with the same cancer have different treatment?

How cancer type, stage, grade, biomarkers, previous treatment, health, treatment aim and patient priorities shape an individual plan.

Read the explanation9 min read

Follow your next question

  1. Chemotherapy, immunotherapy and targeted therapy: how do they differ?3 min read
  2. What does informed consent mean in cancer treatment?3 min read
  3. Should I ask for a second opinion about cancer treatment?3 min read
  4. Should I consider a cancer clinical trial?3 min read
  5. What happens before radiotherapy starts?9 min read

I'm receiving treatment

Treatment, symptoms and everyday life.

Start with knowing when to contact the team. Then choose practical explanations about treatment changes, side effects, food, fatigue and activity.

Two adults walking together outdoors beside green foliage.
Walking can be one form of activity during treatment, but the appropriate amount and type of exercise varies between people.Photograph: Rhoda Baer, National Cancer Institute · Source · Public domainIllustration from Can I exercise during cancer treatment?.

One place to begin

When should I contact my cancer team urgently?

UK guidance on urgent treatment-related symptoms, using your oncology advice line and recognising situations that need 999 rather than a routine appointment.

Read the explanation4 min read

Follow your next question

  1. Why might cancer treatment be delayed, paused or adjusted?3 min read
  2. What are the common side effects of radiotherapy?3 min read
  3. Eating during cancer treatment: what if appetite or weight changes?3 min read
  4. Cancer-related fatigue: why rest may not be enough7 min read
  5. Can I exercise during cancer treatment?8 min read

My treatment has finished

Information for what comes next.

Read about follow-up, the language used after treatment and the experience of still feeling like a patient. This is a starting point, not a fixed recovery pathway.

An empty, modern clinic waiting room with chairs arranged along the walls.
Follow-up may take place in clinic, by telephone or through a patient-initiated pathway, depending on the cancer and purpose of review.Photograph: Harrison Keely · Source · CC BY 4.0

One place to begin

Follow-up after cancer treatment: why appointments and scans vary

Why cancer follow-up differs by cancer type and treatment, when surveillance scans are useful, and why more frequent imaging is not automatically better.

Read the explanation8 min read

Follow your next question

  1. What are late effects of cancer treatment?3 min read
  2. What happens after radiotherapy finishes?7 min read
  3. Why do I still feel like a cancer patient after treatment?6 min read
  4. No evidence of disease, remission and ‘cancer-free’: what do they mean?7 min read
  5. What does cancer recurrence mean?7 min read

I'm living with uncertainty or ongoing cancer

Questions that do not end with a scan.

Choose from explanations of palliative treatment, changing treatment options and life between scans. You can move between any of these reading routes.

A narrow path winding through a meadow of autumn plants.
Everyday life between scans can include ordinary plans and time outdoors; the right choices remain individual.Photograph: Shenandoah National Park Service · Source · Public domain

One place to begin

Living between cancer scans: making room for everyday life

Practical ways to live with uncertainty between cancer scans without allowing every day to become a countdown to the next result.

Read the explanation7 min read

Follow your next question

  1. What does palliative cancer treatment mean?8 min read
  2. What happens if cancer treatment stops working?8 min read
  3. Why might anti-cancer treatment not be recommended?8 min read
  4. Should I consider a cancer clinical trial?3 min read
  5. Scanxiety: coping with worry before a cancer scan7 min read

General information, written and clinically reviewed by Dr AlHilali. These routes do not assess symptoms or recommend treatment. Your clinical team can help with questions specific to you.

Go straight to the radiotherapy guide