Cancer treatment education session
Learn what to expect at your cancer treatment education session, plus tips for staying informed about your treatment and appointments.
On this page:
Learning about cancer treatment
Before you start treatment, you may meet with a care team member, like a doctor, nurse, or patient educator. Together, you will go through what to expect during your treatment. This is called your treatment education session. Your care team may use a more specific name for this session, such as chemotherapy education session or immunotherapy education session.
The goal of this session is to help you feel more ready for your treatment by explaining things like:
How your
treatment works
Your treatment
timeline
Managing possible
side effects
How can I prepare for my cancer treatment education session?
Your treatment education session will involve a lot of information, much of which may be new to you. Getting prepared before your session will help you get the most from it. Here are some tips to help you get ready for your session:
- Ask someone you trust to come with you to the session. This person can help you ask questions, take notes, and give support
- Make sure you have access to a patient portal or triage number so you can contact someone if you have any questions. If you don’t have this information yet, ask for it during your session. For urgent questions, call your provider’s office directly. For emergencies, call 911
- Bring a list of questions to ask your care team. It’s important that you feel comfortable asking any and all questions you have. If you need help getting started, write down or take a picture of the list of questions below
- Gather your medical documents, such as medical history or insurance information, and bring them to the session in case questions come up. A caregiver or friend may be able to help with this task
Care team conversations
Here are a some questions you can ask a care team member during your treatment education session:
- How long will my treatment last?
- What physical, mental, and emotional effects should I expect, and who can I turn to for support?
- How long will each treatment and any follow-up scans and tests take?
- What happens if I can’t make my appointment?
- Who can I ask if I need help getting on my patient portal for test results?
- Where can I find support for housing, childcare, transportation, or other concerns that could affect my treatment?
How can I stay organized?
Staying organized during treatment, including keeping up with appointments and treatments and tracking how you’re feeling, is an important part of your treatment plan. If you’re having trouble keeping up with it, your care team can help. Ask if they can provide you with a patient binder or support resources to track progress. Remember any member of your care team may be able to assist, and it’s OK to reach out to multiple care team members for support. A caregiver—like your partner, adult child, or trusted friend—can also help with the tasks below.
Keep notes and an up-to-date calendar
It’s important to keep the frequency of your appointments in mind. Updating a calendar with your scans, labs, procedures, treatments, and other therapies can help you stay on track without having to remember everything.
Track how you’re feeling
Tracking how you’re feeling routinely can be helpful for your care team to know how your treatment is working and if they need to make any changes or help you manage your side effects and symptoms.
Track your hydration, nutrition, and exercise
Make it a habit to track how you’re drinking, eating, and moving your body day to day. You can share this information with your care team during appointments.
Ask questions after each appointment
Ask these questions after each treatment session or appointment:
- When and where is my next appointment?
- Who will I be seeing at my next appointment?
- Is there anything I should know before my next appointment?
- Who can I reach out to with questions between now and my next appointment?
How can I track how I feel during treatment?
Learn how to get through treatment by tracking how you’re feeling, speaking up to get the support you need, and learning tips that can help you manage your side effects and symptoms at home.
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