Questions to ask your cancer team about exercise

Write your questions down before each appointment, take someone with you if you can, and do not worry about asking everything at once. Macmillan says "Write down any questions before your appointment" [3].

The printable checklist puts every question on one page. For whether exercise is safe and what it does, see our guide to exercise and cancer.

Start with your clinical nurse specialist (CNS) or your cancer doctor, then your GP. Macmillan says a CNS who specialises in your cancer "is usually your main contact at the hospital" and can "refer you to other services that can help" [10].

Macmillan says "It is best to talk to your cancer doctor, specialist nurse or GP if you are new to exercising" [4]. For eating, Macmillan says "You can ask your doctor or nurse at the hospital to refer you to a dietitian" and that "In some hospitals, you can refer yourself" [8].

Our guide to your cancer rehabilitation team explains what each professional does, including clinical exercise physiologists (CEPs).

At diagnosis, ask whether prehabilitation is available to you and whether you can have a holistic needs assessment. Macmillan says "Prehabilitation can start as soon as you are diagnosed, or sometimes even before diagnosis" [7].

Prehabilitation, in Macmillan's words, "means getting you as ready for treatment as you can be", and "usually involves advice and support from your cancer team" about exercise, diet and weight, stopping smoking, cutting down on alcohol and mental health [7]. Ask early whether there is a prehabilitation service you can be referred to, how active you can be before treatment starts, and who your key worker is.

During treatment, ask what activity is safe for you right now, what precautions you need, and which symptoms mean you should stop. Macmillan says your healthcare team "can give you advice on whether it is safe for you to exercise" and "about any precautions you need to take" [4].

The 2022 ASCO guideline, based on 52 systematic reviews and 23 further randomised trials, says "Oncology providers should recommend regular aerobic and resistance exercise during active treatment with curative intent" [14]. If your treatment is not intended to cure, ask how this applies to you.

Precautions depend on the treatment. Macmillan says that while white blood cells are low, "your cancer doctor might advise you to avoid busy public places", and that "If you have a central line or PICC line, you should avoid swimming" [5]. If you have bone thinning or cancer in the bones, Macmillan says "you should speak to your healthcare team before doing or starting any exercise" [5]. Our guide to exercise during chemotherapy explains what is usually possible.

Ask whether you need to see a dietitian, especially if you are losing weight, gaining weight or finding eating difficult. Macmillan says "If you have eating problems, your doctor or nurse may suggest you see a dietitian" [8].

Macmillan says "If you gain or lose a lot of weight during or after cancer treatment, you may need to be referred to a dietitian", and warns that "It is not advisable to follow a very low-calorie or restricted diet to lose weight" [9]. The ASCO guideline found that evidence for "other dietary and weight loss interventions during cancer treatment was very limited" [14], so ask your team before starting any special diet. After treatment, Macmillan says "Your cancer team will tell you if you are at higher risk of other health problems" such as heart disease or bone thinning [9].

A holistic needs assessment (HNA) is a conversation with someone from your healthcare team about anything cancer has affected in your life. Macmillan says "You may be offered an HNA when you are diagnosed, during treatment or after treatment has ended" [1].

Macmillan explains that the assessment is "called holistic because you can discuss any area of your life that has been affected by cancer", and that you and the assessor "will agree on the best ways to manage your needs and concerns" [1]. Physical activity, tiredness and eating can all be raised.

Macmillan also says "If you are not offered an HNA and would like one, you can ask someone from your healthcare team or your GP about it" [1]. In south east London, the NHS cancer alliance says an HNA "should be offered to you soon after your diagnosis and at other significant times, such as at the end of a phase of treatment" [11].

A treatment summary is a written record your cancer team may create at the end of treatment, with a copy for you and your GP. Macmillan says "Your cancer team will give you a copy of your treatment summary. They will also send one to your GP" [2].

Macmillan lists what a treatment summary includes: "the cancer and treatment you have had", "possible side effects of treatment", "any symptoms to look out for", "details of follow-up appointments and tests you may need" and "contact details for your cancer team" [2]. North Central London Cancer Alliance describes treatment summaries as "Completed at the end of primary treatment, including information on possible treatment toxicities" [12].

Macmillan says a team "may" create a treatment summary [2], so if you have not received one, ask. Take it to follow-up appointments [3]. The National Cancer Plan for England (2026) commits that "Every patient will get a personalised assessment of their needs and a personal cancer plan" [13]; ask what is in place locally.

At the end of treatment, ask about follow-up, symptoms to watch for, late effects, who to contact and how to stay well. Macmillan says "Your cancer team will give you details of who to contact after your treatment ends" [2].

Macmillan's list of things you may want to know at the end of treatment includes "how often will you have follow-up appointments (check-ups) and for how long", "side effects of your treatment that may happen months or years after treatment ends" and "if there is anything you can do to help reduce the risk of cancer coming back" [2].

The answer to that last question depends on your cancer type. In a large trial of people who had finished chemotherapy for colon cancer, a three-year structured exercise programme "resulted in significantly longer disease-free survival" (broadly, how long people lived without the cancer coming back) than health-education materials alone [17]. That trial included only people with colon cancer, so ask your team what the evidence means for you. Our guide to exercise after cancer treatment explains more.

Your GP, cancer team or a local support group may be able to refer you, depending on where you live. Macmillan says "Some GPs, cancer treatment centres and support groups have exercise referral schemes" which "can refer you to a cancer exercise specialist or a clinical exercise physiologist" [4].

In 2019, international exercise oncology experts called for clinicians to "assess, advise, and refer patients to either home-based or community-based exercise" [15]. Ask your team directly who can refer you where you live. See cancer rehabilitation in the UK and cancer rehabilitation in London.

Request a match with a verified clinical exercise physiologist through The Health Nav.

Print this list or copy it into your phone, and note each answer and who gave it.

At diagnosis

• Who is my key worker, and how do I contact them?
• Is prehabilitation available, and can I be referred?
• How active can I be before treatment starts?
• Do I need to change what I eat before treatment?
• Can I have a holistic needs assessment?

During treatment

• Can I exercise regularly, and how much?
• Is there anything I should avoid (swimming, contact sport, heavy lifting)?
• Which symptoms mean I should stop and call you?
• Who should I contact in an emergency or out of hours?
• Should I see a dietitian, and can you refer me?

At the end of treatment

• Can I have a treatment summary and a copy of my care plan?
• How often will I have follow-up appointments, and for how long?
• Which symptoms should I look out for?
• What late effects might I have, and how can activity help?
• Is there anything I can do to help reduce the risk of the cancer coming back?
• Who can refer me for exercise support?

Several of the end-of-treatment questions are adapted from Macmillan's list of things you may want to know [2].