Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
How to keep track of a multi-organ screening schedule | CION Cancer Clinics
Keep one written schedule, one doctor who reviews the whole of it, and one folder with every report. Syndromes such as Lynch, Li-Fraumeni and von Hippel-Lindau involve checks on several organs, each with its own interval, and nobody watches the whole plan unless you arrange it. This page shows what a master schedule should hold, how to set it up in an afternoon, and what to do when a test slips. At CION Cancer Clinics, our team helps carriers and their families plan checks, next steps and support after a genetic result.
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Medically reviewed by Dr. Naresh GunduConsultant Medical Oncologist · MBBS, DNB (Internal Medicine), DM (Medical Oncology, AIIMS) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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On this page
- How do I keep track of screening for several organs at once?
- What should a master schedule include?
- How do you set up the schedule in the first place?
- The words you will meet, in plain language
- What to keep on paper, and what to keep on your phone
- Four things families tell us, and what is actually true
- What this page cannot tell you
- Common questions about keeping track of screening
The short answer
How do I keep track of screening for several organs at once?
Keep one written schedule, one doctor who looks at the whole of it, and one folder with every report. That is the whole system. Families who manage multi-organ screening well are rarely more organised than anyone else. They simply stopped relying on memory and on each department to remind them.
Why schedules slip
In Lynch syndrome, Li-Fraumeni syndrome or von Hippel-Lindau disease, checks can involve several departments, each with its own interval. The bowel team knows when your colonoscopy is due. It may not know about your MRI. Nobody is watching the whole plan unless you arrange for someone to, and a missed test is usually noticed only when the next one is due.
Why one owner matters
Ask one clinician, often in the genetics or oncology clinic, to review your full schedule once a year. Guidelines change, new tests are added as you get older, and results in one organ can change the plan for another. One person seeing everything catches what separate teams miss.
Who this does not apply to
If your programme is a single test on a single organ, such as a yearly breast MRI, a phone reminder and a folder of reports are usually enough. This page is for people whose schedule has three or more moving parts.
A schedule held in one person's head does not survive a busy year, a move or an illness.Your master schedule
What should a master schedule include?
One sheet of paper, or one note on your phone, that answers four questions at a glance.
The tests
Every check in your programme, the organ it watches, how often it is repeated and the month it is next due.
For example
- Colonoscopy, and when it is next due
- Upper GI endoscopy, if your syndrome needs one
- Breast MRI or whole-body MRI
- Skin, eye or blood checks
The people
Who orders each test, who reads it and who to call if a result is late. Include the name of the doctor who owns the overall plan.
The results
For each test, the date, the centre, a one-line summary of the result and what was advised next. This is the part families most often skip and most often need.
The practical details
Anything that affects booking. Breast MRI timed to your cycle, fasting before a scan, sedation that needs a companion, and earlier scans that must travel with you for comparison.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistOne afternoon
How do you set up the schedule in the first place?
Gather every report
Collect your genetic report and every scan, endoscopy and laboratory report you have. Put them in date order in one folder.
Ask for the plan in writing
Ask your genetics or oncology team for a written list of every test, how often, and when it should next happen. A verbal plan is easily forgotten.
Put every date on one calendar
Add each due date to a single phone calendar, with a reminder a few weeks ahead so there is time to book. Share it with one family member.
Group tests into visits
Where the intervals allow, arrange tests so that several happen on the same trip. This matters most if you travel in from a district.
Review it once a year
Pick a fixed month, such as your birthday, to go through the whole schedule with your lead doctor and update it.
Words you will hear
The words you will meet, in plain language
- Surveillance schedule
- The written list of every check you need, how often, and from what age. It is set for you and changes over time.
- Interval
- The planned gap between one test and the next. It can shorten after a finding and occasionally lengthen after a run of clear results.
- Baseline scan
- The first scan in a programme. Every later scan is compared against it, which is why it must never be lost.
- Comparison
- When a radiologist looks at your new scan beside your older ones. A small change is only visible if the old images are available.
- Lead clinician
- The one doctor who reviews your whole schedule, rather than a single organ. Often in the genetics or oncology clinic.
- Overdue
- A test whose due date has passed. It should be booked as soon as possible, not moved to next year.
Side by side
What to keep on paper, and what to keep on your phone
On paper, in one folder
On your phone
The original genetic report
A photo of it, plus a note naming your gene and condition
Every scan and procedure report
A scanned copy of each, named by date and test
The written plan from your doctor
Calendar reminders for every due date
Scan discs and original bills
Photos of bills, for insurance claims
Leave a number, we will call you
One field. No form to fill in, and no charge for the call.
Commonly believed
Four things families tell us, and what is actually true
"The hospital will remind me when a test is due."
Some departments do and many do not. Even when they do, a reminder can go to an old number. Treat any hospital reminder as a bonus, not the system.
"If a test was clear, I can skip the next one."
A clear result is exactly what surveillance hopes for. It does not stretch the interval unless your doctor says so. The next test is still due on time.
"The reports are on the lab's website, so I do not need copies."
Online access can lapse, logins get lost and centres change systems. Download every report and keep a copy yourself, on paper and on your phone.
"One missed test does not matter much."
One late test is common and usually fixable if it is booked soon. The danger is that one slip becomes two, and then a year passes. Book a missed test as soon as you notice.
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you which tests belong on your schedule. That comes from your exact gene result, your family history and your age. What your specific variant means is a question for the counsellor who ordered the test.
It cannot replace your lead doctor
A well-kept schedule is only as good as the plan behind it. Guidelines are updated and new evidence changes starting ages and intervals. The yearly review with one clinician is what keeps your schedule current, not the folder on its own.
It cannot tell you what a symptom means
A new lump, bleeding, unexplained weight loss or a persistent new pain should never wait for the next scheduled test. See a doctor promptly and mention your gene fault.
If you have lost track of your schedule, call the helpline. We can help you rebuild it from the reports you have.Questions we are asked
Common questions about keeping track of screening
Is there an app for tracking cancer surveillance?
You do not need a special app. The calendar already on your phone works well, with one event per test and a reminder a few weeks ahead. What matters more is that the dates come from a written plan and that one family member can see them too.
Who should own my overall schedule?
Ideally one clinician in the genetics or oncology clinic who reviews the whole plan once a year. Ask directly whether they will do this. If nobody does, the plan tends to break into separate pieces that no one checks together.
Can several tests be done on the same day?
Often, yes. An upper GI endoscopy and a colonoscopy can frequently be done in one session. Scans and blood tests can often be grouped into one trip. Ask when you book, especially if you travel from a district.
What if my tests are done at different hospitals?
That is common and workable. Ask each centre for a copy of every report and, for scans, the images on a disc or a download link. Send them to your lead doctor so each result is seen alongside the others.
I missed a test last year. Should I wait for this year's date?
No. Book the missed test now and let your lead doctor reset the schedule from that date. Waiting turns one missed test into a much longer gap, which is where problems are missed.
How do I manage schedules for my children too?
Keep a separate sheet and folder for each child, with their own due dates. Children's schedules change as they grow, so review them yearly with their paediatric team. As they reach adulthood, hand the folder over and explain what is in it.
What should I do if I move city or change doctor?
Take your whole folder, including scan images, to the first appointment with your new team. Ask them to confirm your schedule in writing. Do not assume records will be transferred between hospitals on their own.
Can CION help me set up or rebuild my schedule?
Yes. Call the CION helpline and tell us your condition and which tests you have had. We will arrange for a clinician to review your reports and give you a written schedule you can keep.
Your Specialists
Meet CION's oncologists. Bring your family history or genetic report to them.
Our medical oncologists see people with a strong family history of cancer, arrange genetic counselling and testing where it fits, and plan the checks that follow.
Medical Oncologist
Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
MBBS(Gold Medal), DNB(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Gold Medal)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla
MBBS, MD(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Adyar,Chennai), ECMO, MRCP SCE(UK)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Owais Mohammed
MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DrNB (Medical Oncology), ECMO, MRCP SCE (Medical Oncology) (UK)
Medical Oncologist
Medical Oncologist
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Sources
- National Cancer Institute — Genetic Testing for Inherited Cancer Susceptibility Syndromes
- GeneReviews (NCBI) — Lynch Syndrome
- GeneReviews (NCBI) — Li-Fraumeni Syndrome
- GeneReviews (NCBI) — Von Hippel-Lindau Syndrome
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
Related pages
A printable personal surveillance planA ready-made sheet to fill in with your own datesWhen people stop attending screeningWhy schedules lapse, and how families get back on trackSurveillance in a district: travelling for screeningGrouping tests into fewer trips to the cityColonoscopy intervals by syndromeThe bowel checks that sit at the centre of many schedules
Talk to us
Lost track of which tests are due?
Tell us your condition and which tests you have had, and we will help you rebuild a written schedule from your reports. One helpline serves every CION centre.