Just Diagnosed: A Starting-Point Guide
The first weeks after a cancer diagnosis are often the hardest to think clearly in — there's a lot of new vocabulary, a lot of decisions, and not much time to absorb any of it. This guide puts the most useful next steps in one order: understanding what your report actually says, deciding whether to get a second opinion, organizing your records, and knowing who's who on a cancer care team. It won't tell you what your specific diagnosis means for you — only your care team can do that — but it will make the conversations with them easier to have.
In this guide
- 1
Understanding Report Language
How to Read a Cancer Pathology Report
Which part of a pathology report holds the answer, and what specimen, gross, microscopic, margins, grade and synoptic sections actually mean.
5 min read · Beginner
- 2
Diagnosis & Staging
Getting a Second Opinion After a Diagnosis
A plain-language guide to getting a second opinion after a cancer diagnosis
7 min read · Beginner
- 3
Diagnosis & Staging
How to Organize Cancer Records for a Second Opinion
What a second opinion actually needs: slides, imaging on disc, notes, a treatment summary. How to request each, how long it takes, and your access rights.
7 min read · Beginner
- 4
Costs & Practical Help
How to Get Pathology Slides for a Second Opinion
How to Get Pathology Slides for a Second Opinion: a practical checklist, simple script, questions, and next steps.
6 min read · Beginner
- 5
What to Expect
What Should I Bring to My First Oncology Appointment?
A practical checklist for your first oncologist visit — records to gather, questions to ask, and who to bring — so you get the most from the appointment.
4 min read · Beginner
- 6
Questions to Ask
Who Does What on a Cancer Care Team?
A working roster of your cancer care team — who each person is, what they can actually do for you, and when to call them.
6 min read · Beginner
- 7
Diagnosis & Staging
Questions to Ask Your Oncologist
Plain-language lists of questions to ask your cancer care team about your diagnosis, treatment options, side effects, and daily life
6 min read · Beginner
- 8
Questions to Ask
Medical vs. Surgical vs. Radiation Oncologist Roles
What each cancer specialist actually controls, who to call for which problem, and who leads your care at each phase of treatment.
6 min read · Beginner
Everything in this guide is educational, not medical advice, and none of it replaces your own care team. If one part raised a question, that's worth bringing to your next appointment — the goal here is better questions, not a replacement for the answers only your doctors have.