Information Checklist

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

1. What type of cancer do I have?
2. How extensive is my cancer?
3. What treatment do you advise for my cancer and why?
4. Are there other treatment choices for me ? if not, why not ?
5. What are the risks and possible side effects of each treatment?
6. Will I have to stay in hospital, or will I be treated as an out patient?
7. How long will the treatment take? How much will it affect what I can do?
8. How much will it cost?
9. Will I have a lot of pain with the operation? What will be done about this ?
10. When will you be able to tell if I need further treatment? If so, what treatment?
11. If I need further treatment, what will it be like and when will it begin?
12. Will the treatment effect my sexual relationships?
13. How long will I be off work?
14. How frequent will my checkups be and what will be involve?
15. Are there any problems I should watch out for?
16. I would like to have a second opinion. Can you refer me to someone else?
17. Is my cancer hereditary?

If there are answers you do not understand, do not hesitate to say, ‘can you explain that again’ or ‘I am not sure what you mean by….’

Source: Anti-Cancer Council of Victoria "Brain Cancer: A Guide for People with Cancer, Their Families and Friends"