A number of factors should be considered at this stage:

• the patient’s overall condition, life expectancy, personal preferences and decision- making capacity – consideration should be given for patients who decide not to have treatment
• discussing the multidisciplinary team approach to care with the patient
• appropriate and timely referral to an MDM
• pregnancy and fertility
• optimising medical performance to enable treatment to begin
• support with travel and accommodation
• teleconferencing or videoconferencing as required