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Once you’ve decided on treatment, it needs to be planned and scheduled. This process involves coordination between you and all the members of your health care team. A range of factors may affect the planning and timing of your treatment.

A treatment plan will be made for your specific case. This step-by-step process involves both planning and scheduling.

• Treatment planning involves figuring out the exact doses of the treatment that will be given and how long treatment will last.
• Treatment scheduling involves working out the best timing and schedule for getting treatment.

Who plans cancer treatment and care?

You and your cancer team will make most of the decisions about your treatment and care. Your family or caregiver can be involved in the planning and scheduling of your treatments.

Depending on the type and stage of your cancer, you may need care from many health professionals, including:

• Surgeons
• Pathologists
• Medical oncologists
• Radiation oncologists
• Rehabilitation (rehab) specialists
• Palliative care specialists
• Pharmacists
• Nurses
• Dietitian
• Social worker
• Case managers

You can learn more in Health Care Professionals Associated With Cancer Care.

How treatment plans are created

At most cancer clinics or treatment centers, your cancer care team will explain your treatment plan during a regular appointment or a special teaching session. Your doctor and other members of the cancer care team will talk through the treatment plan with you and your family or caregiver.

Throughout this process, make sure any questions you have are answered. Ask for information in writing or write it down yourself.  Having both verbal and written communication about your treatment plan can help you and your cancer care team work together better. It can also help you manage stress.

Your cancer treatment plan

The plan created by your cancer care team will be saved as part of your medical records. It should be given to you and any other members of your health care team that need to know your cancer treatment plan.

Some treatment centers may not use written cancer treatment plans, but you can ask for as much information in writing as possible. Writing things down yourself or getting printed copies can help you remember everything you’re told. You and your caregiver can refer to the written information whenever you need to.

A cancer treatment plan may include:

• Your exact cancer diagnosis and stage
• Special test results, like imaging (x-rays), blood tests, tumor marker tests, genetic testing, or biomarker tests done on the tumor
• Your planned treatment, its doses, the schedule for getting it, and how long it will be given
• Who is responsible for your care at different stages
• Common and rare side effects that might be expected, along with information on how they can be managed
• Expected long-term effects of the treatment
• Supportive treatments or therapies that might be needed, like pain medicine, physical therapy, oxygen, or medical equipment
• Who will be responsible for helping you with problems or answering questions about your care
• Resources for emotional support, mental health issues, or social concerns
• Disability and financial concerns, if needed, and how they can be managed
• Advance directives you may have (living will, durable power of attorney for healthcare, do not resuscitate orders) and your care preferences

If a written cancer treatment plan isn’t given to you, use this list to create your own version.

During treatment, you might need certain community resources. Sometimes transportation or finding lodging is a concern. Your insurance coverage must also be verified and out-of-pocket expenses need to be figured out. In some cases, you might also want to get a second opinion before your treatment plan is created.

Your cancer treatment plan could change, depending on details of your cancer and how it responds to treatment. Changes might be caused by an unexpected response to treatment or severe side effects. You may decide to try a different treatment or stop treatment, When treatment ends, a survivorship care plan can be used to help manage care.

Your treatment schedule

A treatment schedule should be included as part of a written treatment plan. If you don’t get one, you can ask for the treatment schedule to be written out for you.

A treatment schedule includes:

• The type of treatment that will be given, such as radiation therapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, hormone therapy, etc.
• How treatment will be given, such as how radiation will be delivered, or if a treatment drug will be given by mouth, injection, or infusion.
• How often treatment will be given. For example, once a day, once a week, or once every 3 weeks.
• Any breaks between cycles, courses, or types of treatment, and how long the breaks will be.
• The expected length of time for each type or course of treatment.

Treatment schedules are based on research and what has been shown to work best. The outcome of your treatment can be affected by schedule changes or delays. For the best outcomes, it’s recommended to follow the treatment guidelines as closely as possible.

Different things can affect your treatment schedule. Topics to address with your cancer care team include:

• How soon treatment needs to start
• How closely you need to follow the planned schedule
• Your work or school schedule
• Taking time off work, if needed
• Spouse, partner, and family schedules
• Religious or spiritual rituals or schedules
• Transportation problems
• Travel plans you may already have
• What might happen if your treatment gets disrupted

If you need to take a break from cancer treatment

Before your treatment starts, talk to your cancer care team about anything that might interfere with your treatment schedule. During treatment, things may come up that might make it hard to continue or complete your treatment.

Sometimes, your cancer care team might recommend taking a break and that’s OK. A break might be needed due to side effects, additional tests, or other health problems. Holidays or a special event might also affect your treatment schedule. You also might wonder if you can take a break for personal reasons, like family needs or travel.

If you’re getting ready to talk to your doctor about taking a break from treatment, consider these things:

• Make a list of the reasons why you are thinking of taking a break. List the pros and cons of the break.
• Think about the goal of your treatment. There is a difference between treating to cure the cancer, control the cancer, or make symptoms of the cancer better.
• Know that the order and type of treatment may make a difference. Staying on course with treatment might be very important to get the best results, but this can vary depending on the type and stage of cancer
• If side effects are a problem, track and report them. Talk to your cancer care team about ways to manage the side effects. If you aren’t being asked about side effects, speak up. If what’s offered to manage side effects isn’t helping, tell your doctor so you can try something else.

Questions about if it’s OK for you to take a break from treatment need to be answered by your cancer care team, because they know your case best.

Communicating with your health care team

It’s a good idea to ask your cancer care team how your treatment plan will be shared with other health care professionals involved in your care, like your primary care doctor or other specialists.

 Electronic medical records can help with communication between teams. Sometimes, though, the electronic systems can’t connect or “talk” to each other. You might need to call the members of your health care team to keep everyone updated. Sending messages through an online patient portal may be another communication option.

As you talk to your cancer care team, you might want to ask if you can record the conversation. A recording allows you to listen to the session later and review anything you may have missed.

If possible, bring a family member, friend, or caregiver with you to appointments. They can help you take notes and write down the answers to the questions you ask.

If your primary spoken language is different from your doctor’s, ask for a translator to be present at your visits or to be connected with a translation service.

If at any time, it seems like you aren’t getting the information you need, talk to your cancer care team about how to improve communication.

Questions to ask your cancer care team

Remember that each person with cancer has a different case. Asking your cancer care team questions is the best way to get answers that are tailored for you.

Questions you might want to ask about your treatment plan or schedule include:

• How soon does treatment need to start?
• ’What additional information do I need to know about my treatment plan?
• What happens if I can’t stay on schedule?
• Do you think my treatment plan will change? If so, how and why?
• How will my other doctors be notified of my treatment plan?