Questions to ask the Doctor or Oncologist
This list of common questions is courtesy of the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council, National Breast Cancer Centre.
Not all questions will be relevant to you.
Make a list of the questions you think are important to take with you.
Being diagnosed with advanced breast cancer is a great shock for many women. Most women know little about breast cancer and its treatment. In many cases, they don't even know where to start asking questions.
Following is a list of questions which women may ask about their cancer, treatment and prognosis. These are included to prepare practitioners for questions that women may ask. This list will appear soon in the consumer guide for women with advanced breast cancer. Further assistance may be obtained from the NHMRC NBCC Psychosocial clinical practice guidelines: providing information, support and counselling for women with breast cancer, 2000.
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General questions
? Do you mind if I tape record this consultation?
? Do you mind if my friend/relative comes in with me?
? Why did I get breast cancer?
? Why has it recurred?
? What type of breast cancer have I got? Where exactly is it? Where has it spread to?
? How could it have spread in this way?
? Why wasn't the spread of the disease picked up earlier?
? How could I have advanced disease when I have felt quite well until recently?
? Where else could the disease spread to?
? How will I know when and if the disease has spread?
? What will cause the cancer to spread?
? What will happen from here?
? Does this mean I am going to die?
? How long do you think I will live?
? Am I hormone receptor-positive or receptor-negative? What does this mean?
? Do I need more tests? What sort of tests? Why do I need them? What do you
expect them to show?
? With any tests, what happens? What are the risks? The benefits? Is the test conventional or experimental? Who will do it? What other options exist?
? When will the results be available?
? How certain are you that the results of these tests will be accurate?
? Are there any specialist centres for the treatment of breast cancer?
? How can I find a doctor/surgeon/oncologist/counsellor I feel comfortable
with?
? In everything you tell me about tests and treatment, how much uncertainty is there?
? How will the cancer affect my personal and sexual relationships?
? What emotions might I experience?
? Are there any books I can read which may help me understand this disease?
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Chemotherapy
? Why do you think I should (or should not) have chemotherapy?
? If I do have chemotherapy, should I start it now? Or later?
? If I have chemotherapy, how will it be given? For how long?
? Will the drugs make me sick? Will it make my hair fall out?
? What other side effects might it give me? How can I deal with them? How long will I take to recover from them?
? Will I still be able to work?
? If chemotherapy doesn't work, are there any other treatments that might help?
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Hormone therapy
? Why do you think I should (or should not) have hormone therapy?
? If I have hormone therapy, what type of hormone therapy will it be?
? Can I have a form of hormone therapy that does not induce permanent menopause?
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Radiotherapy
? Why do you think I should (or should not) have radiotherapy?
? If I have radiotherapy, what type of radiotherapy will I have?
? Who will do it? When? Where?
? How long will it take?
? What side effects might it give me? How can I deal with them? How long will I take to recover from them?
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Surgery
? Can surgery remove the cancer?
? If you do recommend surgery, exactly what is involved? Exactly how much will you remove?
? How will I feel after surgery? How long will I take to recover?
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Deciding
? What treatment do you recommend? Why?
? What happens if I choose a different treatment? Or no treatment?
? For all these treatments, what benefits would you expect for the average woman? Am I the average woman?
? For all these treatments, what are the risks?
? How successful are these treatments for my type of breast cancer?
? Would any treatment cure me?
? Will this treatment make any difference to the length of my life?
? Will this treatment make any difference to the quality of my life?
? Is there a chance that I can get very sick from the treatment and shorten my life?
? Will it just control the cancer? In what way will it control the cancer?
?Will it mean I live longer? Will it reduce any problems the cancer's giving me? What will my life be like during and after treatment?
? Will there be any permanent damage? Will I still be able to have children?
?Will I be able to breast-feed? Will I get my menopause early? Will my sex life be affected?
? I would like a couple of weeks to make a decision - will that make any difference?
? What would you do in my situation?
? Are there any treatment centres around the world that may be able to help me or can I obtain the same treatments and care here?
? Are there alternate treatments that might help me?
? Can I undertake alternative and mainstream treatments concurrently?
? What will happen if I decide against any further treatment?
? Do I need a special diet to help me fight the disease?
? Does stress cause cancer?
? Will a positive attitude help me to live longer?
? Could I have another medical opinion?
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During treatment
? How much time will all this take? Will I have to stay in hospital?
? How long will I be away from work?
? How much will it all cost?
? Do I need to use contraception during my treatment? Will I have to wait for a while after my treatment before I can become pregnant?
? Is there anything I need to be particularly careful about during my treatment?
? Is there anything I can do to help during my treatment? Should I eat special foods? How can I reduce stress?
? If I need a wig or breast prosthesis, how will I get one? Will I need special clothing?
? Am I entitled to any benefits and services, such as subsidies for travel or prostheses?
? What side effects can I expect? What can I do about them?
? Are there any side effects or problems I should tell you about immediately? How do I get in touch with you to do this? How about if the problem occurs out of hours?
? How will you know if the treatment's working? What sort of tests will you do? How often will you do them? How long will they take to do? When will you have the results?
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After treatment
? What long terms effects - physical, mental, emotional, social, sexual or anything else - may occur?
? Is there anything I should be particularly careful about after my treatment ends? Will I need to come back for a check-up? When should I come back?
? Should I have regular mammograms? If so, how often?
? Is the cancer likely to spread? If it does spread, where will it spread to? Will I get it in the other breast? What signs should I look out for? What can I ignore?
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Dying
? Will I die in pain?
? Will I be able to have control of my life until I die?
? How will I know when I am dying?
? How will I die?
? Are there doctors trained in the management of advanced breast cancer?
? What does Hospice/Palliative care mean?
? Will I need this type of care?
? Who can my family and I talk to about Hospice/Palliative care?
? What supports would be available for me and my family to allow me to be cared for at home if I become very sick?
? What if my family and I can't cope with being at home?
? Is it possible to die at home?
? What supports would be available for me and my family to allow me to die at home?
? Do you believe in euthanasia?
? Where is euthanasia legal?
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Support
? Will you look after me until I die?
? How can I and my family be helped to live one day at a time?
? How can I help myself?
? What should I say to my family?
? Would it be useful to record my consultations with the doctors to play back to them?
? How will this alter my relationship with my loved ones?
? How can I prepare my family for my death?
? How much should I tell my children?
? What sort of things should I tell my children?
? Who can give me assistance in doing this?
? How can I find a counsellor?
? Would my family benefit from seeing a counsellor?
? Will I be able to continue to work?
? What financial benefits are available to me if I cannot work?
? How can I found out about:
- ? making a will
- ? power of attorney
- ? arranging a funeral
?
Will you always be honest with me?
? Will you discuss treatments, prognosis and so on with me before you discuss it with the family?
? Who will look after my children after my death?
? Are there support groups for people with advanced breast cancer?
? Are there agencies that will help my family after my death?
? Should my daughters undertake regular screening?
? Is breast cancer genetic?