Patient question lists
Short real-world notes that help someone know what to ask before chemo, radiation, surgery, a scan, a trial visit, or a financial-navigation call.
Real experience, with consent
Share what helped, so the next person feels less alone
We want first-hand patient and caregiver lessons, but only real ones. We do not invent stories, quotes, or testimonials. If we publish part of your experience, we will ask for consent and give you a chance to review the excerpt first.
How first-hand experience may be used
Caregiver logistics guides
Practical lessons on rides, meals, calendars, childcare, work, family updates, and boundaries, without exposing private family details.
Quote-supported explainers
A source-backed Cancer Explained guide may include a brief approved quote when a real experience makes the page clearer.
What we will ask
We focus on practical details: what you wish you knew, what made the day easier, what was confusing, and what questions helped. We do not ask you to share private medical records, and we do not turn your experience into advice for everyone.
Interview topics we are collecting
What I wish I asked before chemo
- What was missing from the teaching visit?
- What helped with rides, meals, work, or childcare?
- Which question made the plan clearer?
How I prepared for my first oncology visit
- Which records did you bring?
- Did a support person or note-taking method help?
- What do you wish you had known before walking in?
What helped during radiation fatigue
- Which daily tasks changed?
- How did you organize work, rides, or rest?
- What did your care team help you adjust?
How caregivers organized rides, meals, and work
- How did you divide recurring tasks?
- Which tool or routine actually helped?
- What boundary protected the caregiver too?
What I wish I asked the financial navigator
- Which documents were useful?
- What deadline or department was confusing?
- Which question helped you find real assistance?
Questions that helped me decide about a clinical trial
- Which schedule, cost, travel, or consent detail mattered?
- Who helped you think it through?
- What question made the tradeoffs clearer?
Living with a rare cancer diagnosis
- What helped you find the right specialist?
- Which pathology or second-opinion question mattered?
- What do you wish general cancer information explained better?
Rehabilitation and adapting after cancer treatment
- Which daily function changed?
- What did rehabilitation help you practice?
- Which home, work, eating, communication, mobility, or body-image adjustment was hardest to explain?
Going home after a serious cancer hospitalization
- What was unclear at discharge?
- Which medicine, equipment, or home-care task needed better teaching?
- What would have made the first week safer?
Getting cancer care through major access barriers
- Which housing, distance, phone, language, custody, work, or caregiver barrier affected care?
- Who helped navigate it?
- Which practical detail should another patient know to ask about?
Culture, faith, spirituality, and cancer care
- Which practice or value did the team need to understand?
- What made a conversation respectful?
- How did a chaplain, interpreter, healer, or community leader help—or fail to help?
Caregiving outside the usual assumptions
- What did your age, disability, distance, gender, friendship, or family history change?
- Which task or boundary was overlooked?
- What support would have fit your role better?
Treatment ending, comfort-focused care, and bereavement
- Which conversation or preparation helped?
- What did you wish someone had explained earlier?
- Which detail could help another family without telling them what decision to make?
How consent works
- Tell us which topic fits your experience and how you want to be contacted.
- We ask practical questions by email or interview, depending on what you prefer.
- An editor turns the interview into a short excerpt or checklist item.
- You review the exact excerpt before anything is published.
- We label it as first-hand experience, not medical advice.
Nothing is published until all six checks are complete
- You choose how you are identified: full name, first name, initials, or anonymous.
- We edit for clarity and privacy without changing what you meant.
- We send the exact proposed excerpt back to you.
- Nothing is published until you approve that exact wording.
- Every excerpt is labeled as first-hand experience, not medical advice.
- You receive instructions for requesting a correction or removal later.
Sending an email only starts a conversation. It does not give us permission to publish your message. Consent to be interviewed and approval of a specific excerpt are separate steps.
Privacy choices
You can choose how you are identified: full name, first name only, initials, or anonymous. We remove details that could identify you unless you clearly want them included.
What we do not collect
- Full medical records
- Insurance ID numbers, bills with account numbers, or private employer details
- Names of clinicians, clinics, or other patients without permission
- Advice telling another person what treatment choice to make
Clinicians and advocates can also volunteer to review content, or share the outreach kit with a clinic, library, support group, or patient navigation team.