Sometimes it's hard to decide on the right cancer treatment for you. You may feel that everything's happening so fast you don't have time to think things through. Waiting for test results and for treatment to begin can be very difficult.
While some people feel they've got too much information, others may feel they don't have enough. You need to make sure that you know enough about your illness, the possible treatment and side effects to make your own decisions. If you're offered a choice of treatments, you'll need to weigh up the good and bad points about each. If only one type of treatment is advised, ask your doctor why there aren't other treatment choices.
Some people with advanced cancer will always choose treatment, even if it only offers a small chance of cure. Others want to make sure that the benefits of treatment outweigh any side effects. Still others will choose the treatment they think offers the best quality of life. Some may choose not to have treatment except to have any symptoms managed to maintain the best possible quality of life.
You may want to see your doctor a few times before making a final decision. It's often hard to take everything in, and you may need to ask the same questions more than once. You always have the right to find out what a suggested treatment means for you, and the right to accept or refuse it.
Before you see the doctor, it may help to write down your questions. Taking notes during the session can also help. Many people like to have a family member or friend go with them, to take part in the discussion, take notes, or simply listen. Some people find it helpful to tape record the discussion, but ask your doctor first.
Once you've talked about treatment options with your doctor, you may want to talk them over with family or friends, with nursing staff, the hospital social worker or chaplain, or your own religious or spiritual adviser. Talking it over can help to sort out which course of action is right for you.
If you're interested in finding out more information about cancer, there are some very good websites. Be aware that some websites provide wrong or biased information. We suggest you use our useful links to find quality sites. Doctors might also be able to recommend some good websites or other sources of information for people with your type of cancer.
You may want to ask for a second opinion from another specialist. This is okay and can help you make your decision. Your specialist or local doctor can refer you to another specialist. You can ask for copies of your results to be sent to the second-opinion doctor. You can still ask for a second opinion even if you've started treatment or still want to be treated by your first doctor.
‘I think you need to trust your specialist. If you don't, then get another one. But if you trust them, and work with them, you'll come out as best as you possibly can. You don't have to be friends: they may be quite abrupt, and may not want to sit at the end of your bed and have a chat. But it's the trust that's important.'
You might be asked if you'd like to take part in a clinical trial, which is a research project. Clinical trials are a vital part of the search to find better treatments for cancer. Doctors conduct clinical trials to test new or modified treatments and see if they're better than existing treatments. The decision to take part in a clinical trial is always yours.
If you're considering taking part in a clinical trial, make sure you fully understand the reasons for the trial and what it means for you. You may wish to ask your doctor:
If you decide to join a randomised clinical trial, you'll be given either the best existing treatment or a promising new treatment. You'll be allocated at random to receive one treatment or the other. In clinical trials, people's health and progress are carefully monitored.
If you do join a clinical trial, you have the right to withdraw at any time. Doing so will not affect your treatment for cancer. If you do not want to take part, your doctor will discuss the best current treatment choices with you.
