Questions for your doctor
Here is a list of questions to ask your doctor:
- What kind of cancer do I have?
- Where is it?
- Has it spread beyond where it started?
- What's the stage of the cancer? What does that mean?
- Is this cancer linked to genetic (inherited) factors? Are my family members at risk?
- What have the tests shown?
- Do I need any more lab tests or imaging scans?
- What is the purpose of each test or scan?
- How will this information help decide what types of other tests or treatments I should have?
- What are my treatment choices?
- What are the expected benefits of each kind of treatment?
- What are the risks of each treatment?
- What are the side effects of each treatment?
- What do you advise and why?
- Are there new treatments or clinical trials that I should consider?
- How long will my treatment last?
- What are my chances of being cured?
- How soon do I need to start treatment?
- How will we know if treatment is working?
- How will each treatment affect my daily life? My sex life? My ability to have children?
- Will treatment affect how I look? How my body works?
- Will I be able to work during treatment?
- What are the chances that the cancer will come back again?
- Based on what you know about my cancer, how long do you think I'll survive?
- Is there anything else I need to know?
- Where can I get more information?
- Will my insurance cover treatment? How much will I have to pay?
- What can I do to get ready for treatment?
- How will I reach you after office hours, or during weekends and holidays?
- What support services are available to me or my family members?
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