Diagnosis

Diagnosis means finding out whether you have cancer and, if so, what type of cancer you have. Doctors will do this by assessing you, and your symptoms, and by doing tests.

If you have symptoms that could be caused by cancer, you will be referred by your GP or local hospital to a specialist doctor in teenager and young adult cancer.

It’s normal to feel nervous before speaking to the specialist doctor. It can help to:

• Write down what you want to say and ask beforehand
• Make a note of your symptoms and when you started to feel unwell
• Share as much information as possible – little details can make a big difference
• Take a friend or someone from your family with you
• Be open and honest – remember that doctors talk to people about all kinds of problems all day, every day
• Ask your doctor to repeat anything you don’t understand
• Make sure you know what will happen next before you leave