Can someone explain the cancer pathway to me please?

[IHTC]

My Dad has been referred to the hospital for a concerning lump on his tongue and pain in the surrounding area.

His first appointment is this Friday morning and the waiting is killing him. He suffers from health anxiety and the fear of the unknown is getting him down.

Please could someone tell me what he might expect from this first appointment and any going forward?

He will be seen by the relevant consultant who will do a history and examination - this may involve looking down his throat with a small tube in clinic.

They will want to do a biopsy of his lump to see what it is.

Depending on the history and the lump, the specialist may be able to say what they think is going on straight away or they may not - sorry to be so vague.

Biopsy results will be looked at and reviewed at the cancer specialist meeting usually the following week as it takes a few days for the results to come in. If it isn't cancer then you get told and a plan is made for whatever it is you do have.

If it is cancer then you probably will need more scans to decide exactly what treatment will be right for you.

In terms of time, it does actually happen very quickly but when you are waiting for results or scans and appointments it doesn't feel that way at all.

Perfectly summed up by @AnnaMagnani.

Will someone be able to go with him, even just to get him to the right place, not necessarily go into the hospital.

If he's already got health anxiety he may struggle to comprehend what's going on - I don't mean that rudely at all but it's a stressful experience for anyone. Be really clear he understands what's being said to him, write it down or get the Dr/Nurse to record a voice note on his phone.

Can he use Whatsapp on his phone? With Covid he can't have someone go with him but having a relative be able to video call in the consultation would be very helpful.

Thank you so much @AnnaMagnani

Sadly, none of us can go with him. I'm going to drive him to/from his appointment because I know he'll be very wobbly and he shouldn't really be driving.

Great idea about WhatsApp although not sure if the staff would allow that? I know he'll be desperate to ask loads of questions but I know for certain he won't be able to get the words out through panic and it breaks my heart

The staff would much rather he got his words out so if you prime him to say 'can my daughter phone in, I suffer from anxiety' they would rather that. Even if you wrote on a piece of paper he could show them.

After all they have been working with Covid restrictions a long time now.

We will definitely try regardless. Thank you so much for your help.

Good luck to your Dad, OP. As suggested above, do write all the questions down for your Dad to take in with him, in case it's not possible for one of you to join in with a video call