Before you can make a decision about treatment, you need to feel you have been given enough information. All treatments carry risks as well as benefits and thinking through the possible options can help you to decide.
It is important that you understand what will happen and why. You should be given a chance to ask questions, however, it is not always easy to know what to ask. Try to write down what questions you might want to ask before your appointment or take a friend or partner with you. To help you think about what you want to ask your doctor, you may find the following questions helpful.
Tests and investigations
- What investigations or tests will I need?
- What are the tests for?
- How long will it be before I have all the tests?
- Where will they be carried out?
- Who will give me the results and when?
Treatment
- How long can I take to decide about what treatment I have?
- What are the guidelines and standards for my treatment and care? Can I see them?
- Who will have overall responsibility for my care?
- How many people do you see with my type of cancer?
- What are the main treatment options?
- What are the benefits of each of the options?
- What are the risks, if any, of each option?
- What are the risks if I decide to do nothing for the time being?
- How quickly will the treatment start?
- What will the treatment be like and how long will it take?
- How long will my treatment go on for?
- Will I have to spend any time in hospital?
- How will I feel during treatment and are there any side effects I can expect?
- If there are any side effects, what can be done to help me cope with them?
- When will I know if the treatment has worked?
- What will happen if this treatment doesn’t work?
- Can I talk to someone who has had the same treatment?
- Who should I contact if I am worried about my diagnosis, treatment or prognosis?
- How long will it take for me to recover after I have finished the treatment?
- Are there any long-term side effects?
My lifestyle
- Will I be able to continue with the same lifestyle that I’m leading now?
- How can I expect to feel after the treatment?
- When am I likely to be able to get back to work?
- Who should I contact if I have questions or concerns once my treatment has finished?
- Who else can I talk to about my cancer?
- What help is available for my family?
- What patient support groups are there in my area?
- Are my children more at risk of developing a cancer because I have cancer?
- How will treatment affect my personal/sexual relationships?
- Will I have to stop sexual activity during treatment?
- Can I have penetrative intercourse?
- Will I be able to have a family after the treatment? Will I have menopausal symptoms after my treatment?
- How long will the menopausal symptoms last?
- Will I be able to take hormone replacement therapy (HRT)?
- How can I deal with menopausal symptoms if I don’t take HRT?
- How will the disease or treatment affect my body image, for example, my weight?