What the assessing clinician actually needs from you
A targeted-therapy assessment is not a general cancer review. It is a question about whether a particular molecular feature in your tumour matches a particular drug, and whether your body can tolerate that drug alongside everything else you are taking. That means the records you send must let a clinician reconstruct two timelines: the cancer timeline and the health timeline.
The cancer timeline covers the original diagnosis, stage, pathology, any molecular or biomarker testing already done, and every systemic treatment tried so far with the response and the reason it stopped. The health timeline covers existing conditions such as heart, liver, kidney, lung or autoimmune disease, current medicines, allergies, prior reactions to cancer drugs, and recent blood tests or imaging that show how those organs are functioning now.
Targeted cancer treatment acts on particular molecular features, and biomarker findings can help clinicians assess potential treatment options. That is the whole basis of the assessment, so a missing biomarker report or an unclear prior-drug history is not a minor gap. It changes what the clinician can responsibly say.
Send a short cover summary first: one page listing diagnoses, current medicines with doses, allergies, prior cancer treatments and the specific question you want answered. Put the full reports behind it in dated order. This is faster for the clinician than a folder of unsorted scans.
Why existing conditions change the targeted-therapy question
Two patients can have the same biomarker result and reach different conclusions, because targeted agents are not tolerated identically by every body. A clinician assessing you in China needs to know what else is already happening: reduced kidney or liver function, cardiac history, uncontrolled diabetes, active infection, a bleeding disorder, or immunosuppressive treatment.
This is not a reason to assume you are ineligible. It is a reason the assessment must be individual. The treating team has to weigh the molecular finding against your organ function, your other medicines and any interactions, and your overall condition. That judgement belongs to the licensed clinicians who can see the full record and, where needed, examine you.
It also matters for continuity. If you are already on a targeted drug, the practical question is not only whether a centre agrees with the choice, but how ongoing treatment and monitoring would continue without an interruption that could affect you. Ask that directly rather than assuming it can be arranged.
Do not stop or change any prescribed cancer medicine in order to prepare an enquiry. Any change is a decision for your current treating clinician.
Biomarker and prior-drug records: what to specify
When you write to a centre, name the exact drug or drug class you are asking about and the exact biomarker result you believe supports it. Vague phrasing such as "targeted therapy for my cancer" forces the clinician to guess, and guessing is not assessment.
For each prior cancer drug, give the drug name, the dates, the dose if you have it, whether it helped, and why it stopped. For each biomarker test, give the test name, the result, the date and the laboratory that issued it. If a test was done on an older tissue sample, say so, because the clinician may want to discuss whether the result still represents your disease.
If no biomarker testing has been done, say that plainly. Do not ask the enquiry service to order tests or interpret results. Whether testing is needed, which test, and on which sample are clinical decisions for the treating team, and they may also want to review your existing pathology material themselves.
If you have reports in another language, ask what translation or format the receiving centre prefers before you pay for certified translation. Requirements differ between hospitals, and this is a question to confirm with the specific centre rather than assume.
- One-page summary: diagnoses, current medicines with doses, allergies, prior cancer drugs, the specific question.
- Biomarker reports: test name, result, date, issuing laboratory, sample type and date.
- Prior therapy list: drug, dates, response, reason stopped, any significant side effect.
- Organ-function evidence: recent blood tests and relevant imaging, dated.
- Pathology material: whether slides or blocks are available to send or re-review.
Asking whether the centre can assess your case at all
Before assembling a large file, ask a narrower question: can this centre assess a patient with my cancer type, my biomarker context and my existing conditions? A centre that does not handle your tumour type, or does not have the relevant drug or testing capability, should say so early, and that saves you effort.
Ask specifically whether the assessment can be done from records while you remain at home, or whether an in-person visit is required. A records-based opinion has limits: it cannot include an examination, and it cannot confirm final eligibility or hospital acceptance. It can still tell you whether travelling is worth considering and what further information is missing.
Ask who will review the file and what the output will be: a written opinion, a treatment plan proposal, or simply a decision about whether to invite you. These are different products and they lead to different next steps.
If your case spans several specialties, for example oncology plus cardiology because of a heart condition, ask whether a joint review is possible. Complex cases sometimes need more than one specialty to answer responsibly.
Ongoing treatment and monitoring: the continuity questions
The hardest part of an overseas targeted-therapy enquiry is usually continuity, not the initial opinion. If you are mid-treatment, ask how the new centre would handle the transition: what it needs from your current team, how it would monitor you, and what would happen if the drug is not available or not considered suitable after review.
Ask what monitoring the proposed treatment requires and whether those tests can be done locally, at the China centre, or partly in each place. Ask how results would be shared with your home team. Ask what the plan is if you develop a significant side effect while far from home.
Do not treat a positive initial reply as confirmation that a drug is available, that a bed exists, or that you will be accepted. Availability, scheduling and acceptance are confirmed by the hospital, and they can change. Ask for the confirmation in writing and ask what remains provisional.
If you are not currently on treatment, the continuity questions are simpler but still real: how long a stay might be needed, what assessments would happen first, and how follow-up would work afterwards. Ask the centre rather than relying on general expectations.
How to send the file, and what to do next
Start with a brief summary by the enquiry form, email or WhatsApp. Do not send passport numbers, card details or your complete medical archive at first contact. Once the team understands your main question, they can tell you which records to share and how to share them securely.
Keep a personal index of what you have sent and when. If a report is missing, say so rather than waiting until the file is perfect; a clinician can often begin with what exists and specify what else is needed. Missing records should prompt a clear request, not indefinite delay.
Write your two or three most important questions at the top of your message. For most patients these are: can this centre assess my specific drug and biomarker context, how would ongoing treatment and monitoring continue, and what would the hospital need to confirm before any travel.
An initial enquiry is free and does not require buying a proxy consultation. If you want a records-based specialist opinion before deciding whether to travel, that can be discussed separately, and the hospital still decides suitability. The practical next step is to send a short summary naming your cancer type, your biomarker result, your existing conditions and current medicines, and the specific therapy question you want answered.
Sources & scope of this guide
References and official service information relevant to this guide.
This is general planning information and has not been individually reviewed by a doctor. Medical decisions and personal treatment advice come from your treating clinicians.