Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
How to prepare for a liver cancer consultation | CION Cancer Clinics
Bring every scan on disc or link, not only the printed reports, plus your blood tests, biopsy papers and a full medicine list. Write your questions down and bring one person to take notes. Liver cancer passes through many doctors before it reaches an oncologist, and missing papers are the most common reason a first visit ends with tests repeated instead of a plan. At CION Cancer Clinics, our team supports patients and families through symptoms, follow-up and life during and after treatment.
NG
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 ready for my first liver cancer consultation?
- What should I bring to the oncologist?
- What should I do before the appointment day?
- What do the terms in the consultation mean?
- What do families often get wrong before a first visit?
- What can this page not tell you?
- Common questions about preparing for a liver cancer consultation
The short answer
How do I get ready for my first liver cancer consultation?
Gather every report, scan and discharge summary you have, in date order, and bring the actual scan discs or links, not only the printed reports. Write down your questions and your current medicines. Bring one person who can listen and take notes. Those three things decide how much the oncologist can do in that first visit.
Why liver cancer needs more preparation than most
Liver cancer often reaches an oncologist after a long chain of doctors. A physician orders an ultrasound, a gastroenterologist sees the liver, a hepatologist looks at liver function, a radiologist reads the CT or MRI. Each handover is a place where a report goes missing. When it does, the consultation becomes a visit to order the same tests again.
First, which kind of liver cancer is this?
Cancer that starts in the liver (primary liver cancer, usually hepatocellular carcinoma or HCC) and cancer that has spread to the liver from elsewhere are planned very differently. If you are not sure which one your report describes, read primary versus secondary liver cancer before you go. Either way, the preparation on this page is the same.
A well-prepared first visit can often end with a plan, instead of a list of tests to repeat.The folder
What should I bring to the oncologist?
Put everything in one folder, oldest at the back, newest at the front. A photocopy set you can leave behind helps too.
Scans, not just reports
The tumour board looks at the pictures themselves. A report summarises one radiologist's reading. Bring the CD, DVD or online link for every ultrasound, CT, MRI and PET-CT.
Ask the scan centre for
- The full image set, not selected pictures
- The written report signed by the radiologist
- The scan date, clearly written
Blood test results
Liver function tests, bilirubin, albumin, INR (how well the blood clots) and AFP (a blood marker some liver cancers raise). Bring old results as well as new ones, because the trend matters as much as the latest number.
Biopsy and hospital papers
Any biopsy report, discharge summaries, endoscopy reports and referral letters. If a biopsy was done, ask the laboratory whether the slides and tissue blocks can be released for review.
Your medicine list
Every tablet, injection and tonic, including hepatitis B or C tablets, diabetes medicines, painkillers and any herbal or Ayurvedic liver product. Nobody will judge you for it. It matters because some of these affect the liver.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistIn the days before
What should I do before the appointment day?
Write a one-page timeline
When did symptoms start? When was the first scan? Which doctors have you seen, and what did each one say? A short timeline saves the first part of the consultation for you.
Note your liver history
Hepatitis B or C, fatty liver, diabetes, past jaundice, swelling of the abdomen, or any bleeding from the food pipe. Note how much alcohol you drink now and used to drink, honestly. The doctor needs it to plan, not to judge.
Write down your questions
Put the three that matter most at the top. The list of questions for a first appointment is a good starting point.
Decide who comes with you
One or two people who will be part of the decisions. Agree in advance who takes notes and who asks the questions.
Plan the journey
If you are travelling from a district to Hyderabad, ask when you book whether blood tests can be done on the same visit, so you do not make the trip twice.
Words you may hear
What do the terms in the consultation mean?
- Child-Pugh score
- A score of how well your liver is working, from blood tests and an examination. It often decides which treatments are safe.
- BCLC stage
- A staging system for HCC that combines the tumour, the liver function and how active you are day to day.
- Triple-phase CT or MRI
- A scan taken at several moments after a dye injection, to see how the tumour fills with blood. It is the scan the team usually wants.
- Tumour board
- A meeting where oncologists, surgeons, radiologists and liver specialists review your case together before a plan is confirmed.
- Performance status
- How much of your normal daily life you can manage. It tells the team how much treatment your body can take.
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Commonly believed
What do families often get wrong before a first visit?
"The report is enough. The doctor does not need the scan."
Liver tumours are often judged on how they look at each phase of the scan. The team may read the images differently from the first report, and without the images they may ask for a new scan.
"We should hide the drinking, or the doctor will not treat him."
Alcohol history changes how the liver is assessed and which medicines are safe. It is a medical fact, not a moral one. Your team needs it, and nobody will refuse care because of it.
"Only the patient needs to be there."
A second person remembers what the patient misses. Liver cancer decisions are often made by the whole family, so the person who will help decide should hear the explanation first-hand.
"Asking questions will annoy the doctor."
Good questions make the consultation more useful. A written list, kept short and in order of importance, is welcomed.
Being straight with you
What can this page not tell you?
It cannot tell you what your scans show or which treatment will suit you. That depends on the tumour, on how well your liver is working and on your general fitness, and it is decided by a team that has seen your images. CION's tumour board reviews the case and, where more tests are needed, CION arranges them through accredited diagnostic partners.
It cannot replace an urgent visit
If you are vomiting blood, passing black stools, becoming confused or very drowsy, or have fever with a swollen abdomen, do not wait for a planned consultation. Go to hospital today.
Who this does not apply to
If your cancer is in the liver because it spread from the bowel, much of your planning sits with the bowel cancer team, and the colon cancer pages will help more. If the patient is a child, see hepatoblastoma in children.
If you are not sure what to bring, call the helpline before your visit. Someone will tell you what is missing.Questions we are asked
Common questions about preparing for a liver cancer consultation
Do I need a referral letter to see an oncologist?
Not always, but a letter from the doctor who found the problem helps a great deal. It tells the oncologist what has already been done and why. If you do not have one, bring the reports themselves and a short timeline. The visit can still go ahead without it.
What if I have lost some of my reports?
Ask the hospital or scan centre for copies before the visit. Most keep images and reports and can release them on request. Bring what you have rather than delaying the appointment. The team will tell you which missing piece actually matters.
Should I stop my herbal liver tonic before the visit?
Do not make changes on your own before you are seen. Bring the bottle or packet with you instead and show it to the doctor. Some herbal products can harm a liver that is already damaged, so the team needs to see exactly what you are taking.
Do I need to fast before a consultation?
Usually not for the consultation itself. If blood tests or a scan may be done on the same visit, ask when you book whether you should come fasting. Keep taking your regular medicines unless a doctor has told you otherwise.
Can the patient come if they are very weak?
The team usually needs to see the patient, because how well they manage day to day changes the plan. If travel is genuinely hard, ask whether a first review of the reports by teleconsultation is possible, with an in-person visit to follow.
How long does a first consultation take?
Longer than a routine visit, because the doctor has to go through the history, the scans and the blood tests. Plan to spend most of the day at the centre if tests may be added, and do not book a return bus too early.
Will I get a treatment plan at the first visit?
Sometimes. Often the case first goes to the tumour board, or a better scan or a biopsy is needed. You should leave knowing what happens next, who will contact you and roughly when. If that is not clear, ask before you leave.
Can I record the consultation?
Ask the doctor at the start. Many are happy for you to record the explanation so the family can listen again later. Read recording the consultation for ways to do this politely and usefully.
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
Want a specific doctor for your case? Mention them when booking.
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Sources
- NHS — Tests and next steps for liver cancer
- Cancer Research UK — Diagnosing liver cancer
- Macmillan Cancer Support — Liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma HCC)
- Cancer Research UK — Coping with cancer
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
Questions to ask at your first liver cancer appointmentThe list to take into the roomTaking someone with you to appointmentsHow the second person can help mostKeeping your own records and scan copiesStop reports going missing at each handoverThe liver cancer pathway from first scan to treatmentSee where this visit sits in the whole journey
Talk to us
Not sure which reports you need to bring?
Tell us what you have and we will tell you what is missing before you travel. We can also help you book the consultation and arrange any scan the team needs. One helpline serves every CION centre.