Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Reaching your liver cancer team between appointments | CION Cancer Clinics
You can and should contact your team between appointments when something changes. The key is calling the right doctor, at the right speed, with the right details in hand. Liver cancer care often involves a hepatologist, an interventional radiologist and an oncologist at once, so a question can easily land with the wrong person. This page sorts out who to call, when, and what cannot wait for a phone call at all. 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
- Can I contact my liver cancer team between appointments?
- What is worth a call this week, and what can wait for clinic?
- Which doctor do I call for which problem?
- How do I make a call that gets a useful answer?
- Why do families wait too long before calling?
- What this page cannot tell you
- Common questions about contacting the team between visits
The short answer
Can I contact my liver cancer team between appointments?
Yes, and you should. A change in how you feel between visits is exactly what the team needs to hear about, and waiting for the next clinic date can let a problem grow that was easy to deal with early. The trick is knowing who to call, for what, and what to have in your hand when you do.
Why liver cancer makes this harder
Most people with liver cancer are looked after by several doctors at once. A hepatologist may be managing the cirrhosis and the hepatitis tablets. An interventional radiologist may have done the TACE. An oncologist may be prescribing immunotherapy or a targeted tablet. Each one sees only part of the picture, and a question sent to the wrong person can sit unanswered for days. The page on who does what in the liver team explains each role.
Who this page is for
It is for patients and the family member who handles the calls, during treatment or follow-up. It is not for an emergency happening right now. If someone is vomiting blood or has become confused, skip this page and go to hospital today.
!
Do not phone and wait. Go to hospital today.
Vomiting blood, passing black or tarry stools, new confusion or unusual drowsiness, fever or pain with a swollen, fluid-filled abdomen, or sudden yellowing of the eyes with fever. Go to the nearest emergency department the same day and say the person has liver cancer and liver disease. Tell the team afterwards. A message left on a phone is not the right route for any of these.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistSorting the worry
What is worth a call this week, and what can wait for clinic?
Most questions fall into one of three groups. Knowing which one you are in tells you how fast to move.
Call the team within the day
New problems that are not emergencies but should not sit. These need a doctor's view soon, not at the next booked visit.
- A tummy that is steadily getting bigger
- Ankles swelling more than usual
- A rash, diarrhoea or cough on immunotherapy
- Sore, peeling hands or feet on a targeted tablet
- Pain that the usual tablets no longer control
Call within a few days
Changes worth reporting before they build up. Eating less, losing weight, new itching, poor sleep, or a blood report from a local lab that looks different from the last one.
Save for the next clinic
Questions about the long-term plan, diet in general, travel or work. Write them down as they come so none are lost.
If you are unsure which group a symptom belongs to, treat it as the faster one.Who to ask
Which doctor do I call for which problem?
- Side effects of a cancer medicine
- The oncologist who prescribed it. That includes immunotherapy, targeted tablets and chemotherapy. Raised liver enzymes on immunotherapy also go here first; see raised liver enzymes during immunotherapy.
- Pain or fever after TACE or ablation
- The hospital and doctor who did the procedure. Some discomfort after TACE is expected, but they need to judge whether yours is.
- Hepatitis B or C tablets
- The hepatologist or physician who started them. Never stop these on your own, even during cancer treatment.
- Fluid, swelling or drowsiness
- The hepatologist, alongside the oncologist. These usually reflect the liver itself rather than the tumour.
- Unsure who owns the problem
- The doctor who coordinates your care. At CION that is the oncologist, who can pass it to the right person.
Leave a number, we will call you
One field. No form to fill in, and no charge for the call.
Before you dial
How do I make a call that gets a useful answer?
Have the basics ready
The patient's full name, the hospital ID or file number, the name of the treating doctor, and the current treatment. Keep these on one card in the file.
Say what changed and when
"Since Tuesday his tummy is bigger and he is breathless lying flat" is far more useful than "he is not well". Give the start day and whether it is getting worse.
Have the latest reports to hand
A photo of the most recent blood report, with the date clearly showing, can be shared if the team asks for it. Never send reports without a message saying what you want looked at.
Write down the answer
Note who you spoke to, what they advised and when to call back if things do not settle. Read it back to them before you hang up.
What holds people back
Why do families wait too long before calling?
"The doctor is busy. We should not disturb them."
A short, clear call about a real change is part of the doctor's work. A problem caught early is usually simpler to manage than one that arrives in the emergency department days later.
"It is probably just the medicine. It will pass."
Sometimes it is, and the team will tell you so. Some side effects of immunotherapy and targeted tablets need treatment paused quickly, and only the prescriber can make that call.
"We will mention it at the next visit."
Fluid, swelling and confusion in a cirrhotic liver can change over days. By the next visit they may be much harder to manage.
"If we tell them he started drinking again, they will stop treating him."
Doctors need to know so they can keep him safe. Telling them changes the plan to protect the liver. It does not change whether he deserves care.
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you whether a particular symptom is serious for the person you are caring for. The same swelling means different things in a patient with mild cirrhosis and one with advanced liver disease. Only the team who knows the liver, the scans and the current treatment can judge that.
It cannot tell you each hospital's arrangements
Every hospital and partner centre has its own route for calls outside clinic: a nurse line, a ward number, an emergency desk. Ask for yours at the first visit and write it in the file. If several hospitals are involved, ask each one. Keeping everything together in a single liver cancer file makes every call faster.
Who this does not apply to
If you are not yet under any team and are waiting for a first appointment, the advice on what to do while you wait fits better. If you are unsure who is meant to be looking after you now, call the CION helpline and someone will help you work it out.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about contacting the team between visits
Can I send reports on WhatsApp instead of calling?
Ask the team at the first visit whether they accept reports that way and who reads them. A message can sit unread, so never use it for anything urgent. For a new or worsening symptom, speak to a person. Always include the patient's name and what you want the doctor to look at.
Who should make the calls in our family?
Choose one person, ideally the one who comes to appointments and keeps the file. Several relatives calling separately with different versions of events slows everything down. The patient should agree to that person speaking for them, and the team may ask to confirm it.
What if the hospital that did the TACE is not answering?
Call the oncologist who coordinates your care and explain. They can reach the partner hospital or advise you directly. If the problem is pain with fever and a swollen abdomen, or anything on the red-flag list, do not wait for a reply. Go to hospital today.
Should I stop a tablet if I think it is causing side effects?
Call before you stop. Some cancer medicines need pausing quickly for certain side effects, and others are safe to continue. Hepatitis B tablets in particular should never be stopped without the hepatologist, because stopping can trigger a flare in the liver.
Can a local doctor in our town help between visits?
Often, yes. A local physician can check blood pressure, arrange blood tests and spot problems early. Give them a copy of the latest treatment summary, and ask them to share any results with the cancer team rather than changing the cancer medicines themselves.
Is it alright to call about worry rather than a symptom?
Yes. Fear before a scan, trouble sleeping, or a family struggling to cope are all real problems the team can help with, including through counselling. Say plainly that it is not a new symptom so the call reaches the right person.
What if we are travelling from a district for treatment?
Find out before you leave Hyderabad which number to call and which nearby hospital to use in an emergency. Carry the treatment summary and recent reports on every trip. A teleconsultation can sometimes replace a long journey for a routine review.
How do I reach CION between appointments?
One helpline serves every CION centre. Give the patient's name and treating doctor, and say what has changed. The team will route the call to the right person or ask you to come in. For any red-flag symptom, go to the nearest hospital first and call after.
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
- American Cancer Society — Living as a Liver Cancer Survivor
- National Cancer Institute — Caregivers of Cancer Patients
- Merck Manual Consumer Version — Hepatic Encephalopathy
- NHS — Vomiting blood
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
Vomiting blood or passing black stools: go nowThe emergency that never waits for a callbackWatching for confusion, fluid and bleeding at homeWhat to look out for day to dayKeeping a single liver cancer fileSo every call has the right details to handWho does what in the liver teamKnow which doctor owns which problem
Talk to us
Not sure who is meant to answer your question?
Tell us what has changed and who is treating you, and we will help you reach the right person or arrange a review. One helpline serves every CION centre.