Communicating with a doctor after a cancer diagnosis

Receiving a cancer diagnosis is always pretty frightening, but today a wide range of treatment options exist that can beat back this disease and give many patients their lives back. On the other hand, sometimes when cancer is discovered, the only form of care is to extend a patient’s life for as long as possible with as little pain as possible. Either way it’s important to fully understand the implications of your diagnosis so that you can make the best treatment decisions. Our guide to talking to your doctor after a cancer diagnosis will help you do that.

Getting answers

Getting good answers involves asking good questions. Sometimes physicians misinterpret a patient’s or family’s silence after a cancer diagnosis as a sign that they understand everything and that they really don’t have any questions to ask. Other times, families just don’t know what to ask or they don’t want to appear like they don’t understand what the doctor has just told them. That’s why it makes good sense to bring a list of questions and a family member as a “second set of ears” with you when you visit the doctor. Most doctors appreciate patients who bring lists (okay, short ones!) because they know that patients who do their “homework” are more likely to follow doctor’s orders on how to get better.

Questions to ask

Here is a script of questions on a number of topics that might be helpful.

Reviewing Test Results (e.g., biopsy, PET scan and CT scans):

Ask your doctor to provide copies of the reports so you can review them while he or she explains them to you. Then ask:

Could you please go over the test results and tell us what each means? What type of cancer do I have?

What is the stage of the cancer and has it spread? Please explain what the staging means.

Are you confident with these test results to accurately form your diagnosis? Should any other tests be performed?

Reviewing Treatment Options:

Please tell me how you reached your decision as to what you’re recommending (e.g., surgery, radiation, chemotherapy).

What are the pros and cons of what you are proposing?

What is the major goal of what you are recommending? Is it to remove the cancer, slow down the growth of the cancer or relieve me of my symptoms?

Would you please describe the treatment and/or surgery? How will it work?

If surgery is recommended, what will you do if you see that the cancer has spread to nearby organs or lymph nodes?

What can I expect to feel during my recovery? How will it affect my daily life?

If I don’t do the surgery or other treatment options, what will happen?

From your experience in treating other patients similar to my case, what were their results?

How will you know if the treatment is succeeding?

What is my prognosis for survival if I follow this treatment? What would it be if I don’t follow this treatment?

How much time should I take to think about what I should do?

Will you be the one coordinating my care, and if so, how can I contact you?

Before you leave, be sure to ask the physician or nurse if they can give you some educational materials to help you better understand the kind of cancer you have and the treatment options being proposed. If you need more information, the American Cancer Society online is an excellent resource. You can also call them at 1.800.ACS.2345.

The bottom line

A cancer diagnosis is always scary, but now a number of options exist for your treatment. It’s important to fully understand the implications of the diagnosis so that you can make the best treatment decisions.
Getting good answers involves asking good questions, so it’s important to prepare a list of them so that you can have a comprehensive conversation with your doctor.
Your questions should aim to gather more information about test results, treatment options, prognosis and more. Only with all of this information can you truly be prepared to battle the disease.
If you need more information, the American Cancer Society online is an excellent resource, or call them at 1.800.ACS.2345.