Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
How to get your liver cancer case discussed at a tumour board | CION Cancer Clinics
Ask your treating doctor directly to present your case at a tumour board, and bring every scan, report and discharge summary. If your hospital does not hold one, a cancer centre that does can review your file. This page explains what the board weighs, what to bring so it can actually decide, and how to hear the outcome from one named doctor. At CION Cancer Clinics, our team supports patients and families through symptoms, follow-up and life during and after treatment.
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Medically reviewed by Dr. Naresh GunduConsultant Medical Oncologist · MBBS, DNB (Internal Medicine), DM (Medical Oncology, AIIMS) · last reviewed October 2026, next review due October 2027
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On this page
- How do I get my liver cancer case discussed at a tumour board?
- What do the specialists weigh when they discuss my case?
- What do I actually do to get my case on the list?
- What should I bring so the board can actually decide?
- Four things families assume about tumour boards
- What this page cannot tell you
- Common questions about tumour boards for liver cancer
The short answer
How do I get my liver cancer case discussed at a tumour board?
Ask your treating doctor, in plain words, to put your case on the next tumour board list, and bring every scan, report and discharge summary you have. If your current hospital does not hold one, ask for a referral to a cancer centre that does, or book a second-opinion consultation there yourself.
What a tumour board is
A tumour board is a regular meeting where several specialists look at one person's case together. For liver cancer that usually means a medical oncologist, a surgical oncologist, a radiologist, an interventional radiologist, a hepatologist and a pathologist. Each one sees the same scans and the same blood results at the same time. You can read more about what the meeting decides on what a liver tumour board decides.
Why liver cancer needs one more than most
The liver pathway passes through more hands than almost any other cancer. A physician finds the spot, a gastroenterologist sees the cirrhosis, a radiologist reads the scan, and the oncologist or surgeon may come last. Every handover is a place where a patient can be lost or a decision made by one person in isolation. The board puts those people in one conversation before the plan is fixed.
This page is about cancer that started in the liver and cancer that spread there. Both deserve a board review.What the board looks at
What do the specialists weigh when they discuss my case?
Every liver cancer decision rests on three things. The board looks at all three together, which one doctor alone often cannot.
The tumour
How many spots there are, how large they are, and whether they touch the main blood vessels, such as the portal vein. The radiologist checks whether the scan was done in the right phases to answer these questions.
The liver itself
Whether there is cirrhosis, meaning scarring, and how well the remaining liver is working. Bilirubin, albumin and INR on your blood report feed a score called Child-Pugh, which tells the team how much treatment the liver can take.
You as a person
How active you are, your other illnesses such as diabetes or heart disease, and what matters to you. A plan that works on paper but that you cannot travel for or tolerate is not a good plan.
What is missing
Often the most useful outcome is a list of gaps.
- A scan that needs repeating in the right phases
- A biopsy, when the scan pattern is not typical
- A hepatology opinion on the cirrhosis or hepatitis
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistStep by step
What do I actually do to get my case on the list?
Gather everything in one file
Collect every scan report, the scan images on CD or as a download link, blood reports, any biopsy report and discharge summaries. Put them in date order. Our page on carrying your scans between hospitals explains what to ask the scan centre for.
Ask the question directly
Say to your doctor: "Has my case been discussed at a tumour board, and if not, can it be?" Many hospitals hold one. Families often never ask, so the case is decided in a clinic room instead.
Get a referral letter if you need to move
If there is no board where you are, ask for a short referral letter that states the question you want answered. Our page on what a referral letter should say lists the essentials.
Book a consultation at a centre with a board
At CION, an oncologist sees you first, takes the history and checks the file. Your case then goes to the multidisciplinary tumour board. Missing scans or a biopsy are arranged through accredited partner hospitals and diagnostic partners.
Hear the outcome from a named doctor
Ask who will tell you the board's view, and when. The answer should come from one doctor who can explain the reasoning and the alternatives.
Your checklist
What should I bring so the board can actually decide?
- Scan images, not only reports
- The radiologist on the board wants to look at the pictures. A report alone often cannot be reviewed properly.
- Triple-phase CT or liver MRI
- A scan taken at several timings after contrast dye. Liver cancer is often diagnosed from how a spot lights up and fades on these phases.
- Recent blood reports
- Liver function tests, including bilirubin, albumin and INR, plus AFP, a blood marker that can be raised in liver cancer.
- Hepatitis B and C results
- These change treatment choices and decide whether an antiviral medicine is needed alongside cancer treatment.
- Any biopsy or endoscopy report
- Including the slides or blocks, if a pathologist second opinion may be needed.
- A list of your medicines
- Every tablet, injection and herbal tonic you take, written down honestly. Nobody will judge you for it.
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Did you know
You do not usually need to attend the tumour board meeting yourself. The specialists discuss your file, your scans and your blood results. What you do need is a doctor who presents your case accurately, and a clear appointment afterwards to hear what was decided.
Commonly believed
Four things families assume about tumour boards
"Asking for a tumour board will offend our doctor."
Good doctors welcome it. A board review protects the patient and the doctor, because the plan rests on several opinions. Asking politely is part of being a careful family.
"A board review will delay treatment."
Most boards meet regularly, so the wait is usually short. Starting the wrong treatment quickly costs far more time than a short pause to get the plan right. If you are worried about the wait, ask when the next meeting is.
"Only private hospitals in Hyderabad hold tumour boards."
Many government and teaching hospitals hold them too. What matters is whether your case is actually presented, with the scan images, and whether a hepatologist and an interventional radiologist are in the discussion.
"If the board says one thing, that is the only option."
The board gives a recommendation and its reasons. You can ask about the alternatives they considered and why they were set aside. If two teams disagree, our page on when two doctors disagree can help.
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you what a board will recommend for you. That depends on your scans, your liver function and your fitness, which only a team looking at your own file can judge. It also cannot tell you whether the plan you have already been given is right or wrong.
Who this does not apply to
If you are vomiting blood, passing black stools, newly confused or drowsy, or have fever with a swollen abdomen, do not wait for a board. Go to hospital today. A board review is for planning treatment, not for emergencies. It is also less useful if your case has already been discussed by a full liver team and you simply need the plan explained again.
Who can answer the rest
Your treating oncologist, or a second-opinion consultation, is where these questions get answered. Our page on getting a second opinion on a liver cancer plan covers when that is worth doing.
If you are unsure whether your case has been discussed, call the helpline and someone will help you find out what to ask.Questions we are asked
Common questions about tumour boards for liver cancer
Can I ask for my case to go to a tumour board myself?
Yes. You or a family member can ask your treating doctor directly. If your hospital does not hold one, you can book a consultation at a cancer centre that does. The centre's oncologist will review your file first and then present it to the board.
Do I have to be present at the meeting?
Usually not. The specialists discuss your scans, reports and history among themselves. You then meet a doctor who explains what was decided and why. Ask in advance who that doctor will be and when you will hear back.
Who sits on a liver cancer tumour board?
Typically a medical oncologist, a surgical oncologist, a radiologist, an interventional radiologist, a hepatologist and a pathologist. Some boards add a radiation oncologist or a transplant surgeon. At CION, specialists from accredited partner hospitals join the discussion where a procedure is being considered.
What if my scan is from a small centre in my district?
Bring it anyway, with the images on CD or a download link. The board's radiologist will say whether it answers the question. Sometimes a repeat scan in the right phases is needed, and the team can arrange that through a diagnostic partner.
Does a tumour board review cost extra?
It depends on the hospital. Some include it in the consultation, others charge separately for a second-opinion review. Ask at the time of booking, and ask for any charges in writing, so there are no surprises.
What if the board says I need more tests first?
That is a common and useful outcome. It means the team will not guess. The missing scan, biopsy or hepatology opinion is arranged, and the case goes back to the board once the result is in. Ask for a rough idea of when that will be.
Can cancer that spread to the liver go to a tumour board?
Yes, and it should. The board needs to know where the cancer started, because that decides the treatment. Cancer that spread from the bowel, for example, is planned differently from cancer that began in the liver itself.
Our family is in a district far from Hyderabad. Where do we start?
Start by collecting every report and scan into one file and calling the CION helpline. Someone will tell you what is missing before you travel, so the visit is not wasted. A first review can sometimes begin from copies sent ahead.
Your Specialists
Meet CION's liver cancer specialists. Bring your scan reports and liver blood tests.
Our medical and surgical oncologists plan liver cancer care together, weighing the tumour and how well your liver works before choosing surgery, a liver-directed procedure or medicines.
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
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Muralidhar Muddusetty
MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery) (AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh)
Surgical Oncologist
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Sources
- National Cancer Institute — Liver Cancer Treatment
- Cancer Research UK — Treatment for liver cancer
- NHS — Tests and next steps for liver cancer
- EASL — EASL Clinical Practice Guidelines: management of hepatocellular carcinoma
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
What a liver cancer multidisciplinary meeting decidesWhat happens inside the meeting itselfReferral letters and what should be in themThe letter that gets your case to the right teamCarrying your scans between hospitalsSo the board sees the images, not just the reportWhere delays happen and how to avoid themThe handovers where liver cancer patients get lost
Talk to us
Not sure whether your case has been discussed by a full team?
Tell us what has been done so far and what reports you hold. We will tell you what is missing and how a tumour board review can be arranged. One helpline serves every CION centre.