Key facts
- A team of medical professionals should review the information about your family member’s diagnosis. The team is called a multidisciplinary team (MDT).
- Your family member should be given the details of a nurse (called a clinical nurse specialist). They can support you and your family member and answer your questions.
- As long as the person you are caring for gives their GP and medical team permission to speak to you, you can talk to them about your family member’s treatment and care.
- Your family member may have tests and some treatments – such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy – at their local hospital.
- If they are having surgery to remove their cancer this should be done at a specialist centre.
- Your family member can ask for a second opinion, if they want one, and it won’t affect their care.
- If you are caring for your family member at home, you should be told who to call if you need help.
- If your family member has been told their cancer can’t be cured, they may see a specialist palliative care team or supportive care team. These services aren’t just for people at the end of their life. They provide specialist care to manage complex symptoms and help people to live as well as possible for as long as possible. They support families too.
- If you have any questions at all about your family member’s care, ask the medical team or nurse.
