Talk about yourself and your cancer experience. Everything is relevant and can potentially help somebody else who is going through cancer. Here are just a few ideas for topics, but feel free to cover anything that isn’t listed here or alternatively we have made a few short films that might give you a few examples!

• What to talk about? Pre-diagnosis/Treatment
• What to talk about? Living with Cancer
• What to talk about? Post-treatment/Moving On

Life before cancer

• What were you doing?
• Were you in education/employment?

Lead up to diagnosis

• What were your symptoms?
• Did you visit your GP/health professionals?

Diagnosis day

• How did your diagnosis come about?
• Who was with you?
• How did you feel?

Relationships with others

• How did cancer impact on your friends, family, siblings, boyfriend, girlfriend?
• Do you feel like your relationships have changed for the better?
• How did people react around you when hearing you had cancer?

Start of treatment

• What was your treatment plan?
• What was first day of treatment like?
• What was your treatment side effects?
• What was the worse bit about your treatment?

Education/Employment

• How did cancer impact on education/employment?
• Did you feel like you was given enough support?
• Was there anything that could have been improved?

Hospital

• Where are/were you treated?
• Were you given the choice on where you would like to be treated – e.g. Local Hospital, Teenage Cancer Trust Unit
• What was staying in hospital like? – e.g. food/ward/visiting times

Teenage Cancer Trust

• If you weren’t treated on a Teenage Cancer Trust unit, do you know what one is?
• If you were not treated on a Teenage Cancer Trust unit, would you like to be?
• Why would a Teenage Cancer Trust unit be good in your area (if you haven’t got one)
• Did you like being on a Teenage Cancer Trust unit?
• Have you been on any trips/support groups?
• Do you know about other work that happens within Teenage Cancer Trust? e.g. education, research, awareness, Find Your Sense of Tumour, Royal Albert Hall gigs etc.

Fertility

• How do you feel about your current fertility?
• Were you given the chance to preserve your fertility e.g. bank sperm/store eggs?
• Were you told about possible side effects to your fertility?
• Would you like more information on fertility?

Body Image

• How has treatment effected your body image?

Coming up to end of treatment

• What next? – e.g. are you having time out/travelling/holiday/returning to education/employment.
• How do you feel about end of treatment? – e.g. fears/hopes

Mental Health

• How has a cancer diagnosis impacted on your mental health? – e.g. Do you worry more/less.

Survivorship – After Cancer

• Do you have any late effects?
• What are your follow ups – e.g. scans, blood tests, appointments.
• Are you happy with your follow ups?
• Do you feel guilty for being a survivor?
• Fear of relapse?
• What’s life like after cancer?

Relapse

• Did you recognise any symptoms?
• How did you find out you relapsed?
• How did you feel?
• What’s next for you? – e.g. treatment, more scans etc.

Palliative treatment

• How does being palliative impact on you and your relationships?

jtvcancersupport.com

• Does using a website like this help in any way? Whether it’s watching others or filming yourself?