Start here
You do not have to understand everything today.
This starter pack brings together practical information, appointment tools, and Canadian support resources to help you take the next steps — a few manageable things at a time.
Not a schedule, and not homework. These three things help most people feel oriented in the first days, whenever you are ready.
A diagnosis is confirmed in stages, and some results take time. It helps to keep a simple record:
Appointments carry a lot of information at once. Writing questions down ahead of time helps, and most teams welcome it.
Ask your care team for the contact details that matter day to day, and keep them in one place:
Every centre organizes care a little differently. These sheets are a place to record what your team tells you — they are not a promise that every centre works the same way.
Everything in the starter pack is on this page — you never have to download anything to get the help. The sheets below are here to print or save, with room to write.
From the Canadian Cancer Society
A booklet of questions to ask your healthcare team, with space to write down the answers and information you receive.
Canadian Cancer Society · English · PDF, 20 pages
Starter pack sheet
The key questions to take to your doctor, with space for notes, decisions, and next steps.
Starter pack sheet
One place for your clinic contacts, phone numbers, and upcoming appointments.
Starter pack sheet
Record what you take — prescriptions, over-the-counter products, and supplements — and questions to raise with your team.
A single printable PDF of the whole starter pack is in preparation. When it is ready, it will be added here — the same information will always stay on this page.
Take this list with you, on paper or on your phone. You do not need to ask everything at once — start with what matters most to you.
Two more things worth doing: bring a support person if you wish, and ask how to obtain copies of your reports. Your records are yours.
Fill this in with your care team at your next appointment or call.
Keep this current and bring it to appointments. Include prescriptions, over-the-counter products, vitamins, and supplements.
Pancreatic cancer care involves specialist services — surgery, medical oncology, radiation oncology, and multidisciplinary assessment. Some provinces formally designate centres for pancreatic (hepato-pancreato-biliary, or HPB) surgery; Ontario's designated centres, for example, are listed by Cancer Care Ontario.
If surgery is a possibility, it is reasonable to ask where it would be done and how often that team performs it — and to ask about a referral or another opinion if you want one. Your provincial guide lists the services and referral routes where you live.
Five short routes into the guides on this site. Open them in any order, at your own pace — each starts with the question it helps you discuss with your team.
What type of pancreatic cancer do I have? What do the scan and pathology results tell us?
What is the goal of treatment, and which options are appropriate to discuss?
Have tumour biomarker testing and inherited genetic testing been considered?
These are two different kinds of testing — one examines the tumour, the other looks for inherited risk. They are not interchangeable.
Who can help with pain, nausea, appetite changes, digestion, or weight loss?
Is it appropriate to assess clinical-trial options now, or at another point?
A conversation to have with your team — not something every patient needs at the same time.
Book a free virtual appointment with a nurse to ask questions, understand your options, and find programs that support people affected by pancreatic cancer. Appointments are 15 or 30 minutes, booked through the Craig's Cause website.
Talk to an information specialist who can help you find cancer information and support resources in your community.
For peer conversation with other Canadians, the Foundation moderates r/CanPancreaticCancer on Reddit — a discussion community, separate from professional navigation or clinical advice.
Explore income benefits, travel assistance, and patient-support programs.
In Atlantic Canada, the Foundation's Port to Care program provides $500 grants toward travel for pancreatic cancer care. Applications are open. About Port to Care →
Find practical information and support for your own needs as a caregiver or family member.
Ask your care team for written instructions about urgent symptoms and after-hours help. Do not wait for a website response if someone needs urgent medical assessment.