If you’ve just been diagnosed with cancer, no doubt you’ve been given some treatment options, heard suggestions from well-meaning friends and been bombarded with information from the internet. Feeling overwhelmed and afraid is common at this point.
If you’re anything like me, you may be tempted to crawl back into your bed for the next six months!
But you need accurate information about your cancer, and you can’t get that from underneath your bedcovers. Asking your oncologist the right questions is one of the best ways to get the right information. The more information you have and the better you understand your cancer, the more confident you will be about your choices and your treatment.
What should you ask your oncologist? Where do you start given that cancer is such a complicated topic? Here is a list of ten questions to start with, and I recommend bringing this list in a notebook or a digital device to organize the answers.
Top Ten Cancer Treatment Questions
What is the full name of my cancer?
What is the grade or stage of my cancer?
Does my cancer have a molecular/genetic subtype or tumor marker?
Has the cancer spread beyond the primary tumor to other parts of my body?
What treatment plan do you propose, and how long will treatment last?
What are the side effects of each treatment and how long will the side effects last?
Will I be able to work/go to school/take care of my family during treatment?
Is the goal of treatment to cure my cancer or just to control it/slow it down?
Do I qualify for a palliative care consultation or program?
Do I qualify for a clinical research trial?
The stress of having cancer and undergoing treatments can make it difficult to hear, remember and understand everything that your doctor says. For this reason, some people find it helpful to bring a family member or friend along for support. Your helper can write down what the doctor says and ask questions that don’t occur to you. Make sure to choose a support person who knows you well and can help you make decisions under stress.
The above question list is not comprehensive and there are many other important questions to ask your oncologist, such as how to preserve your fertility, how to preserve your mental health and others. In addition, the goals of cancer treatment often change as time passes. Bring your cancer treatment notebook (or digital app) with you each time you see the oncologist and revisit the treatment plan.
As you go through your treatment, keep asking questions, take notes and remember that you are the most important person in the room!
This post is adapted from a chapter in Braving Chemo: What to Expect, How to Prepare and How to Get Through It, by Beverly A. Zavaleta MD, 2019.
