Welcome to Your Head and Neck Cancer Care Journey
If you or someone you care about has been newly diagnosed with head and neck cancer and is in treatment in Alberta, this page brings together resources to help you feel informed and supported.
A head and neck cancer diagnosis means navigating a complex healthcare system, at a hard time. This journey map is here to help. It brings together information, tools, and resources you may need at the various stages of your care journey, from diagnosis to life after treatment.
The following journey map is for patients with any type of head and neck cancer. Head and neck cancers include cancer of the mouth, throat, voice box (larynx), nose and sinuses, salivary glands, and others. For more information about the types of head and neck cancer, please visit Alberta Health Service’s webpage on Head and Neck Cancer from Cancer Care Alberta and Mayo Clinic’s webpage on Symptoms and Cases for Head and Neck Cancer.
Your Guide to Head and Neck Cancer Care
Whether you’re newly diagnosed, in treatment or supporting someone you love, this page brings together reliable resources to help you feel informed and supported.
The Journey Map At a Glance
A head and neck cancer diagnosis means navigating a complex healthcare system, at a hard time. This journey map is here to help. It brings together the information, tools, and resources you may need at the various stages of your care journey, from diagnosis to life after treatment.
Because everyone’s head and neck cancer journey will be a unique to them, your progression through the journey map might not just go from left to right (from diagnosis to treatment, to post-treatment), but might go up and down too (from one treatment to another).
What’s Inside?
- Resources for common stages in the head and neck cancer journey, including diagnosis, pre-treatment, treatment, and post-treatment
- Questions to ask your care team at each stage of care
- An overview of the specialists you may meet along the way
Your Care Team
You will have a team of healthcare providers to support your head and neck cancer journey. This team may include a medical oncologist, radiation oncologist, head and neck surgeon, speech-language pathologist, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, dietitian, dentist, or social worker.
Looking Ahead
Follow the Map’s Path
Move left to right through each phase of the treatment journey, beginning at diagnosis.See What’s Next
The connecting lines show the progression of care from one phase to the next.Tap to Explore
Click any coloured point in the map to open more detailed information about it.
The Journey Map At a Glance
The Journey Map At a Glance
A head and neck cancer diagnosis means navigating a complex healthcare system, at a hard time. This journey map is here to help. It brings together the information, tools, and resources you may need at the various stages of your care journey, from diagnosis to life after treatment.
Because everyone’s head and neck cancer journey will be a unique to them, your progression through the journey map might not just go from left to right (from diagnosis to treatment, to post-treatment), but might go up and down too (from one treatment to another).
What’s Inside?
- Resources for common stages in the head and neck cancer journey, including diagnosis, pre-treatment, treatment, and post-treatment
- Questions to ask your care team at each stage of care
- An overview of the specialists you may meet along the way
Your Care Team
You will have a team of healthcare providers to support your head and neck cancer journey. This team may include a medical oncologist, radiation oncologist, head and neck surgeon, speech-language pathologist, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, dietitian, dentist, or social worker.
Looking Ahead
Looking Ahead
Follow the Map’s Path
Move left to right through each phase of the treatment journey, beginning at diagnosis.See What’s Next
The connecting lines show the progression of care from one phase to the next.Tap to Explore
Click any coloured point in the map to open more detailed information about it.
Save the Map
Save the Map
Save a copy of the treatment journey map to review later, share with loved ones, or bring to appointments. The map opens as a PDF file, so you can download it, print it, or read it offline whenever you need. Please note that it may take a few moments to load.
Save MapMore Resources
More Resources
Alberta Health Services provides valuable resources and support for cancer patients and their families, which can be found at Cancer Care Alberta.
Learn MoreSave the Map
Save a copy of the treatment journey map to review later, share with loved ones, or bring to appointments. The map opens as a PDF file, so you can download it, print it, or read it offline whenever you need. Please note that it may take a few moments to load.
Save MapMore Resources
Alberta Health Services provides valuable resources and support for cancer patients and their families, which can be found at Cancer Care Alberta.
Learn MoreFrom my head & neck cancer diagnosis until my treatment was completed, my care involved multiple healthcare professionals and types of care: surgical, radiation, chemotherapy, physiotherapy, nutrition services and speech therapy. The transition between the different types of care and sometimes back again had me often worrying about how my treatment plan was being maintained and if anything might be overlooked. This created an additional level of concern, over and above maintaining appointments, treatment and focusing on healing.
Funding Acknowledgement
Funding for this project was provided through a grant to Khara Sauro from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
