Do you need a referral for chemotherapy?

Yes, chemotherapy normally requires referral to or ongoing care with an oncology team before treatment begins. A primary care clinician, surgeon, or another specialist may make the referral after cancer is suspected or diagnosed. The oncologist then decides whether chemotherapy fits the diagnosis, treatment goal, and your overall health.

The oncology team reviews pathology, scans, cancer stage, previous treatment, medical conditions, current medicines, and allergies. It may arrange blood tests or other checks to understand how safely your body can process the planned drugs. Chemotherapy can be used alone or combined with surgery, radiotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, or other medicines.

If chemotherapy is recommended, the team explains the drugs, treatment schedule, intended benefit, likely side effects, and alternatives. Treatment is planned for your particular cancer and is not booked simply because a referral was received.

Confirm that the oncology clinic has your pathology and imaging reports before the appointment. Bring a current medication list, including supplements, plus details of previous operations or cancer treatments. Write down symptoms, other health conditions, drug allergies, and any recent infections. These details help the oncologist choose treatment and supportive medicines.

Before leaving the consultation, make sure you know where treatment would occur, what preparation is needed, how routine monitoring works, and which telephone number to use outside clinic hours. Do not stop existing medicines unless the oncology team or prescribing clinician advises a change.

If you are receiving chemotherapy, follow your treatment unit's urgent-contact instructions for fever, shaking chills, new breathlessness, uncontrolled vomiting or diarrhoea, inability to drink, confusion, unusual bleeding, chest pain, or a severe allergic-type reaction. Infection can worsen quickly when treatment lowers infection-fighting blood cells, so do not wait for a routine appointment when these warning signs occur.

Ask what chemotherapy is intended to achieve, why the proposed combination suits your cancer, which checks are needed before each treatment, and what side effects should trigger an urgent call. You can also ask how the plan may affect work, eating, fertility, driving, and other medicines.