Treatment Pathways
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- Treatment Pathways
Cancer care often feels confusing because patients don’t know what comes next. At Onco-Life, treatment is planned in a clear, step-by-step pathway so you understand
- What will happen
- Why it’s being done
- And what you should prepare
Choose Your Pathway
Chemotherapy (Chemo) Pathway
What this page helps with:
Understanding cycles, port vs IV access, common side effects, monitoring, and when to go to Casualty.
Best for patients who are:
- starting chemo soon
- already on chemo and want clarity
- considering second opinion/transfer of care.
Radiotherapy (Radiation Therapy) Pathway
What this page helps with:
What this page helps with: Understanding planning CT/simulation, daily sessions, side effects by body area, and why “planning time” is important before starting.
Best for patients who are:
- advised radiation after surgery,
- advised chemo-radiation,
- starting a curative radiation course or symptom-control radiation.
Cancer Surgery
Pathway
What this page helps with:
Understanding pre-op fitness checks, hospital stay expectations, surgical histopathology and why it matters, recovery milestones, and danger signs after surgery.
Best for patients who are:
- advised surgery as first treatment,
- planned for surgery after chemo,
- recovering after surgery and planning next steps.
PET-CT (GE Discovery) Pathway
What this page helps with:
Understanding scan preparation (especially diabetes), scan-day flow, report timelines, and how PET-CT fits into staging or response assessment.
Best for patients who are:
- newly diagnosed and advised PET-CT,
- on treatment and assessing response,
- concerned about recurrence and advised imaging.
What to keep ready
To avoid delays, keep one Cancer Folder (paper + phone photos):
- Biopsy / Histopathology ± IHC reports
- Scan reports + images (CT/MRI/PET-CT)
- Blood test reports (CBC/LFT/KFT as available)
- Current medicines list + allergies
- Discharge summaries / surgery notes (if any)
- If already on treatment elsewhere: chemo dates/drugs, radiation summary
This single habit saves time and prevents repeated tests.
Safety first: When to go to Casualty immediately
- Fever ≥ 38°C (100.4°F) (especially after chemotherapy)
- Breathlessness or chest pain
- Uncontrolled bleeding (vomiting blood, black stools, heavy bleeding)
- Confusion/fainting/seizure
- Severe vomiting/diarrhea with weakness or low urine
- New leg swelling/pain with sudden breathlessness (possible clot)
- New leg weakness + back pain or bladder/bowel control issues