Treatment journeys
The first question after a diagnosis is usually what the next year looks like. These timelines lay out the typical sequence for a cancer at a stage: tests, treatment before and after surgery, radiotherapy, long-term tablets and follow-up, with the decision points where the plan forks. Durations come from the trial protocols and guidelines named on each page; your own plan will differ.
- Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) · Stage II-III (operable)Triple-negative breast cancer, stage II-III
About a year of active treatment: chemotherapy with immunotherapy before surgery, surgery, then immunotherapy for nine more cycles, with radiotherapy alongside, followed by five years of check-ups.
7 phases · about 13 months of active treatment · 1 decision point - HR-positive / HER2-negative breast cancer · Stage I-II (early)HR-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer, stage I-II
Surgery first, a genomic test to decide whether chemotherapy adds anything, a few weeks of radiotherapy, then five to ten years of endocrine tablets, with a CDK4/6 inhibitor for two or three years if the risk is high.
8 phases · about 28 months of active treatment · 2 decision points - HER2-positive breast cancer · Stage II-III (operable)HER2-positive breast cancer, stage II-III
Chemotherapy with two HER2 antibodies for about four months before surgery; what the surgeon finds decides the next year of anti-HER2 treatment (antibodies alone, or the ADC T-DM1 if cancer remained).
7 phases · about 13 months of active treatment · 1 decision point - Non-small-cell lung cancer · Stage II-IIIA (resectable)Non-small-cell lung cancer, resectable stage II-IIIA
Molecular testing splits the road: without a driver mutation, chemo-immunotherapy comes before surgery and immunotherapy after; with an EGFR or ALK alteration, surgery is followed by a targeted tablet for two to three years.
5 phases · about 6 months of active treatment · 1 decision point - Colorectal cancer · Stage III colonColon cancer, stage III
Surgery to remove the tumour and its nodes, then three or six months of chemotherapy depending on risk, and five years of follow-up with blood tests, scans and a colonoscopy.
4 phases · about 3 months of active treatment · 1 decision point - Prostate cancer · High-risk localisedProstate cancer, high-risk localised
Radiotherapy with two to three years of hormone therapy (sometimes with abiraterone), or surgery, after a PSMA PET scan has shown the cancer has not spread; then PSA checks for life.
5 phases · about 25 months of active treatment · 1 decision point - Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma · Advanced stage (III-IV), first lineDiffuse large B-cell lymphoma, advanced stage
Six cycles of immunochemotherapy over about four months, a PET scan to confirm the lymphoma has gone, then two years of close follow-up; if it comes back early, CAR-T cell therapy is the next step.
5 phases · about 31 months of active treatment · 1 decision point - Glioma & glioblastoma · Newly diagnosedGlioblastoma, newly diagnosed
Surgery within days, six weeks of daily radiotherapy with temozolomide tablets, a month off, then six monthly cycles of temozolomide (with the option of a scalp device), and an MRI every two to three months.
6 phases · about 9 months of active treatment · 1 decision point - Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma · ResectablePancreatic cancer, resectable
A major operation, two to three months to recover, then six months of combination chemotherapy, which roughly doubled the time patients stay cancer-free in the trial that set the standard.
5 phases · about 8 months of active treatment · 1 decision point - Melanoma · Stage III (node-positive)Melanoma, stage III
Surgery to remove the melanoma and the involved nodes, then a year of immunotherapy infusions every few weeks, or immunotherapy for six weeks before surgery, followed by scans for five years.
5 phases · about 14 months of active treatment · 2 decision points - Multiple myeloma · Newly diagnosed, transplant-eligibleMultiple myeloma, newly diagnosed and fit for transplant
Four to six months of a four-drug combination, a stem cell transplant with a hospital stay of a few weeks, two more cycles, then maintenance tablets that continue for years while the disease is monitored down to a few cells in a million.
6 phases · about 7 months of active treatment · 1 decision point