Questions to Ask the Doctor

Regular communication with your doctor is important in making informed decisions about your health care. Consider asking the following questions of your doctor(s):

• What type of breast cancer do I have?
  
  
• Can you explain my pathology report (laboratory test results) to me?
  
  
• What is the size of my tumor?
  
  
• What is a sentinel lymph node biopsy? What are the benefits and risks? Would you recommend it for me?
  
  
• What is the risk of lymphedema with a sentinel lymph node biopsy? With axillary lymph node dissection?
  
  
• How many lymph nodes contain cancer?
  
  
• What stage is my breast cancer? What does that mean?
  
  
• What are my options for treatment?
  
  
• Do I need additional surgery?
  
  
• Should I consider chemotherapy before surgery?
  
  
• Where clinical trials are open to me?
  
  
• What are the possible side effects of this treatment, both in the short term and the long term?
  
  
• 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 fertility (ability to have children in the future)? If so, are there other treatments available that do not pose as high a risk to my fertility but are equally effective?
  
  
• What are the expected timelines for my treatment plan?
  
  
• Now that you have examined me, am I a good candidate for reconstruction?
  
  
• What types of breast reconstruction options do I have?
  
  
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of each type?
  
  
• How will you determine if the cancer comes back?
  
  
• How often will I receive radiation therapy?
  
  
• How much time will each treatment take?
  
  
• Will each treatment be the same? Does the radiation dose or area treated change throughout the period of treatment?
  
  
• Will you describe what I will experience when I receive radiation therapy?
  
  
• Whom do I call for questions or problems?
  
  
• What follow-up tests will I need, and how often will I need them?
  
  
• What support services are available to me? To my family?

For additional questions, see the Cancer.Net Guide to Breast Cancersection.