Questions to ask your doctor

You may find the following list helpful when thinking about the questions you may want to ask your doctors about your illness and treatment.

1. What type of cancer do I have?
2. How extensive is my cancer? (How much cancer is there?)
3. What treatment do you advise for my cancer and why?
4. Will my treatment be planned and given by a doctor who specialises in this cancer?
5. Are there other treatment choices for me? If not, why not?
6. Are there any clinical trials of new treatments that I should know about?
7. What are the risks and possible side effects of each treatment?
8. Will I have to stay in hospital, or will I be treated as an outpatient?
9. How long will the treatment take? How much will it affect what I can do? How much will it cost?
10. Will I have a lot of pain with the treatment? What will be done about this?
11. If I need further treatment, what will it be like and when will it begin?
12. Will the treatment affect my sexual relationships?
13. How frequent will my check-ups be and what will they involve?
14. Are there any problems I should watch out for?
15. I would like to have a second opinion. Can you refer me to someone else?
16. Is my cancer hereditary?

If there are answers you do not understand, feel comfortable to say, ‘Can you explain that again?' or ‘I am not sure what you mean by ...'

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