Lung cancer patient information

Find out what to expect when you come to hospital for your appointment at the lung cancer service.

Before your appointment

You will receive your appointment within two weeks of referral and it is imperative that you attend. You may receive an appointment for investigations (for example a CT scan) prior to your appointment. These tests are also essential and will help your doctors make a full assessment of your case when you are seen in clinic. Please be aware that though this may require you to alter plans at the last minute, it is essential that we begin investigations and treatment if necessary as soon as possible.

We encourage you to bring a partner, relative, close friend or carer to your appointments, as you will need to discuss your condition, which could mean discussing good or bad news. This extra support is helpful as it is often difficult to recall all the information you have been given on your own.

Please remember to check your appointment letter for anything specific you have been asked to take with you. In addition, it would be helpful if you could bring the following:

• your full address and telephone number(s)
• your appointment card and appointment letter
• your GP’s name and address
• a list of questions you may want to ask your consultant

During your appointment

When you arrive please make your way to the main reception of the clinic as shown in your appointment letter and use a kiosk to self check in.

At your initial appointment you will meet one of our lung cancer doctors and you may be seen with a clinical nurse specialist at the same appointment. We will discuss your case and may be able to discuss the results of any investigations that you have already had. We will endeavour to answer your questions.  We will explain the next steps, any further tests that might be needed and together we will make a plan for how to proceed.

Please note that we are a teaching hospital, so medical students may be present for some appointments. If you do not wish to have them in the room please let the nurse or doctor know and the students will be asked to step outside.

After your appointment

Your consultant and the medical team will discuss your case. Any decisions made by the team will be discussed with you and your family either at your next appointment or, if you have agreed to this, we may contact you by phone to discuss next steps. We will try to answer any questions you have on the benefits and risks of each of your treatment options. You will have access to our Macmillan lung cancer clinical nurse specialists and can contact them via the Macmillan navigators if you have any further questions. 

Macmillan navigators

As part of the Macmillan Cancer Support and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust partnership, we’ve introduced the Macmillan cancer navigators service.

Macmillan navigators offer a single phone contact for all cancer patients. They can help with booking appointments, accessing local support services and finding answers to any questions. Please call the Macmillan navigators team with any questions you have about your cancer care. Learn more about Macmillan navigators. 

• Your referral for lung cancer treatmenT from another trust