Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Preparing for cancer surgery: a complete checklist | CION Cancer Clinics
You prepare for cancer surgery in four areas: your body, your medicines, your papers and your family. Start in the weeks before, not the night before. Stop tobacco, walk daily, eat enough protein, list every medicine and follow your team's written instructions exactly. This page sets out what to do and when, and what only your own surgeon can decide. CION Cancer Clinics’ surgical oncologists in Hyderabad can talk this through with you.
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Medically reviewed by Dr. Muralidhar MuddusettyConsultant Surgical Oncologist · MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery, AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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The short answer
How do you prepare for cancer surgery?
You prepare in four areas: your body, your medicines, your papers and your family. Most of the work happens in the weeks before the operation, not the night before, so start as soon as a date is being discussed.
Why the weeks before matter
People who walk a little every day, eat enough protein and stop smoking usually recover more easily. None of this changes what the surgeon does in theatre. It changes how well your lungs, heart and muscles cope afterwards, and how soon you can get out of bed and eat again.
What the team will ask of you
You will have blood tests, a heart and lung check and a meeting with the anaesthetist, the doctor who keeps you asleep and safe during the operation. You will be asked about every medicine you take, including tonics and ayurvedic products. You will be given fasting instructions for the night before. Write each instruction down, because they differ from one operation to the next.
Who does the checklist on this page not fit?
An emergency operation, done within hours of admission, skips most of these steps. So does a small procedure under local anaesthetic. If that is your situation, ask the team which parts still apply.
This page is general. Your own surgeon's instructions always come first, even where they differ from what is written here.The countdown
What should you do, and when?
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As soon as surgery is planned
Stop smoking and stop chewing tobacco or gutka. Even a short break helps the lungs and the wound. Start walking every day, a little further each week, and ask whether breathing exercises are advised for you.
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At the fitness check
Bring every medicine strip and bottle in a bag. Tell the doctor about blood thinners, diabetes tablets, insulin and anything bought without a prescription. Only your doctors decide what to stop and when.
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In the week before
Confirm the admission date and time. Arrange blood donors if the hospital has asked for them. Sort out insurance or scheme approval, and decide who will stay with you in hospital.
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The day before
Follow any bowel or skin preparation you have been given. Pack your bag. Eat a normal, light meal unless told otherwise, and do not shave the area of the operation yourself.
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The night before
Stop eating and drinking at the exact time you were given. Take only the medicines you were told to take, with a sip of water. Try to sleep, and set two alarms.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistThe checklist
What goes on the list in each area?
Split the jobs between the patient and the family. Nobody should be carrying all four alone.
Your body
Walk daily, eat regular meals with dal, eggs, curd or paneer, and keep drinking water. If you have lost weight, tell the team early, because a dietitian can help before the operation.
Your medicines
Make one written list of every medicine, with the strength printed on the strip. Show it at the fitness check and again on admission.
Always mention
- Blood thinners such as aspirin or clopidogrel
- Insulin and diabetes tablets
- Herbal and ayurvedic products
Your papers
Keep every report, scan CD and biopsy slide in one folder, in date order. Add your ID, your insurance or scheme card and any approval letter.
Your family and home
Choose one person to stay with you and one to take phone calls from relatives. Arrange travel home, and time off work for whoever will help in the first weeks back at home.
Before you leave home
Have you done these on admission morning?
- Kept to the fasting time you were given
- Had a bath and put on clean, loose clothes
- Removed jewellery, nail polish and make-up
- Taken only the medicines you were told to take
- Packed the folder of reports and your ID
- Told the team about any cold, fever or new cough
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Call the team before you travel if this happens
If you develop a fever, a chest infection, loose motions, chest pain or breathlessness in the days before surgery, call the surgical team before you set out. Do not stay quiet in the hope the operation goes ahead anyway. An infection can make anaesthesia less safe, and the team would far rather move the date than find out in theatre.
Commonly believed
What do families get wrong before an operation?
"He should rest completely until the operation."
Lying in bed for weeks weakens the muscles you will need to get up after surgery. Gentle daily walking, within what your doctor allows, is usually far better than rest.
"Feed her extra ghee and sweets to build strength."
Strength comes from protein and regular meals, not from extra fat and sugar. Sweets can push blood sugar up, which slows wound healing. Ask for a dietitian if eating is hard.
"It is safer to stop all medicines a few days before."
Some medicines must continue right up to the day, and stopping them can cause harm. Others do need to stop. Only your surgeon, anaesthetist or the doctor who prescribed them can tell you which.
"A small cold does not matter for a big operation."
A chest infection matters more before a big operation, not less. Tell the team. They will decide whether the date should stand.
Being straight with you
What can this checklist not tell you?
It cannot tell you whether surgery is the right choice for you. That decision belongs to you and your treating team, who weigh the type and stage of the cancer, your general health and the other treatments on offer.
It cannot give you your own timings
Fasting times, which medicines to hold and whether you need bowel preparation all depend on the operation and on you. A breast operation and a bowel operation are prepared for very differently. Use the written sheet your hospital gives you, and ask for one if you have not received it.
It cannot promise the date will hold
Operations are sometimes moved because of a raised blood sugar, a new infection, a blood result or an emergency elsewhere in the hospital. This is frustrating, and it is done for your safety. Ask what the new plan is and what you should keep doing in the meantime.
Questions worth taking to your surgeon
Ask how long you are likely to stay, what you will be able to do in the first week at home, and who to call at night if something worries you.
If anything on your instruction sheet is unclear, call the helpline before the day, not on the morning of admission.Questions we are asked
Common questions about preparing for cancer surgery
How early should I start preparing?
As soon as surgery is being discussed. Stopping tobacco, walking daily and eating well take time to help, so the weeks before the date are the useful ones. Paperwork, insurance approval and blood donors also take longer than families expect, so start those early rather than in the last few days.
Can I eat normally before the operation?
Usually yes, until the fasting time you are given. Regular meals with protein help you heal. Some operations on the bowel need a special diet in the day or two before, and your team will tell you if yours does. Never fast longer than you were told, because that can leave you weak and dehydrated.
Should I stop my blood pressure or diabetes medicines?
Do not stop or change any medicine on your own. Some are continued on the morning of surgery and some are held. The anaesthetist and your surgeon decide this at the fitness check, based on the medicine and the operation. Write their instructions down and bring the list with you on admission day.
I smoke. Is it too late to stop?
It is not too late. Stopping before surgery helps the lungs clear, lowers the chance of a chest infection and helps the wound heal, and some benefit starts soon after you stop. The same applies to chewing tobacco and gutka. Ask the team for help to quit if you find it hard.
What if I catch a cold or fever before the date?
Call the surgical team before you travel. A mild cold may not change anything, but a fever or chest infection can make anaesthesia less safe. The team will decide whether to go ahead or move the date. Telling them early saves a wasted journey from a district town and a cancelled slot.
How many family members should come?
One adult who can stay with you and sign forms if needed is usually enough inside the ward. Most hospitals limit visitors to lower the chance of infection. A second person nearby for errands, pharmacy runs and blood donation arrangements is helpful, but does not need to stay on the ward.
Do I need to arrange blood before surgery?
Sometimes. For larger operations the hospital may ask for blood to be kept ready, and some blood banks ask families to bring replacement donors. Ask at the fitness check whether this applies to you, how many donors are needed, and when they should come.
Will Aarogyasri or my insurance cover the preparation tests?
Often the tests are covered as part of the approved surgical package, but this varies. Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS, EHS and most cashless insurers each have their own rules on what counts. Call the helpline with your card details before the tests, and we will check your cover with you.
Meet the Specialists
17+ senior cancer specialists. One panel for your case.
Trained at AIIMS, Tata Memorial, and leading international centres. Combined 150+ years of experience. Every complex case is reviewed by 3+ of them — together.
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
Surgical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Vinay Mamidala
MBBS, MS(General Surgery), M.Ch(Surgical Oncology), FMAS, FARIS(Ongoing)
Surgical Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Hematologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Vajja Sandeep Kumar
MBBS, MS (General Surgery), DrNB (Surgical Oncology), FALS Oncology
Surgical Oncologist
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Sources
- NICE — Perioperative care in adults (NG180)
- Cancer Research UK — Surgery for cancer
- Macmillan Cancer Support — Surgery
- National Cancer Institute — Surgery to treat 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
What to Pack for a Cancer OperationThe bag for you and for the person staying with youDocuments to Carry for Cancer SurgeryThe papers admission and insurance desks ask forFasting Instructions the Night BeforeWhen to stop eating and drinking, and whyFitness, Tests and PrehabilitationThe checks before surgery and how to get stronger
Talk to us
Not sure what your instructions mean?
Call the helpline with your admission sheet in hand. We will go through it with you and tell you who to ask about anything unclear. One helpline serves every CION centre.