Talking often with the doctor is important to make informed decisions about your health care. These suggested questions are a starting point to help you learn more about your cancer care and treatment. You are also encouraged to ask additional questions that are important to you.

• What type of Hodgkin lymphoma do I have?

• How experienced are you in treating patients with Hodgkin lymphoma?

• Can you explain my pathology report (laboratory test results) to me?

• Has my biopsy been reviewed by a pathologist who is an expert in lymphoma?

• What is the stage of my Hodgkin lymphoma? What is the subtype?

• What good and poor prognostic factors do I have?

• What treatment options do I have?

• What clinical trials are open to me?

• What treatment plan do you recommend? Why?

• What chemotherapy treatment do you recommend? How many treatments? Why?

• What are the advantages and disadvantages of chemotherapy alone versus chemotherapy plus radiation treatment?

• What, if any, radiation treatment do you recommend, and why?

• Who will be part of my health care team, and what does each member do?

• Who will be coordinating my overall treatment and follow-up care?

• What are the possible side effects of treatment, both in the short term and the long term?

• Should I get a second opinion?

• How will this treatment affect my daily life? Will I be able to work, exercise, and perform my usual activities?

• Could this treatment affect my sex life? If so, how and for how long?

• Could this treatment affect my ability to become pregnant or have children? If so, should I talk with a fertility specialist before cancer treatment begins? If I’m a man, should I bank my sperm?

• If I’m worried about managing the costs related to my cancer care, who can help me with these concerns?

• How can I stay as healthy as possible during treatment?

• What follow-up tests will I need, and how often will I need them?

• What support services are available to me? To my family?

• Whom do I call for questions or problems?