Asking your doctor questions will help you make an informed choice. You may want to include some of the questions below in your own list.
Learn helpful questions about:
Treatment
- Why do I need chemotherapy?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of chemotherapy for me?
- How successful is chemotherapy for the type of cancer I have?
- What is the goal of this chemotherapy?
- Are there any other treatments I can have instead?
- Will chemotherapy be my only treatment or will I have other treatments?
- How much does treatment cost?
- What drugs will I be receiving? How will they be given?
- How often will I receive chemotherapy and for how long?
- How will you decide the dosage?
- Are there clinical guidelines you are following?
- How will I know if the treatment is working?
- Where will I have chemotherapy? Can I have it close to where I live?
- Do my family and friends need to follow any safety measures?
- Can I take my usual medications during chemotherapy?
Side effects
- What are the risks and possible side effects of this type of chemotherapy?
- Will any side effects be long term or short term?
- What can I do to help manage any side effects?
- Will chemotherapy affect my sex life and fertility?
- Are there any complementary therapies that might help me?
- Should I change my diet or physical activity during or after treatment?
- Who should I contact for information or if I have a problem during treatment? Who is my after-hours contact?
After treatment
- How often will I need check-ups after treatment?
- Am I at risk of developing late effects from chemotherapy? What might these be? What can I do to prevent this?
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More resources
Clinical A/Prof Rosemary Harrup, Director, Cancer and Blood Services, Royal Hobart Hospital, TAS; Katie Benton, Advanced Dietitian, Cancer Care, Sunshine Coast Hospital and Queensland Health, QLD; Gillian Blanchard, Oncology Nurse Practitioner, Calvary Mater Newcastle, NSW; Stacey Burton, Consumer; Dr Fiona Day, Staff Specialist, Medical Oncology, Calvary Mater Newcastle, and Conjoint Senior Lecturer, The University of Newcastle, NSW; Andrew Greig, Consumer; Steve Higgs, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council Victoria; Prof Desmond Yip, Clinical Director, Department of Medical Oncology, The Canberra Hospital, ACT.
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