Regular communication with your health care team is important in making informed decisions about your health care. Consider asking the following questions of your doctors:
Questions to ask your entire health care team
Should I see other doctors for a second opinion? Can you give me referrals (names of doctors) to see?
Who is going to help coordinate my treatment and follow-up care?
What can I do to get ready for treatment?
If I’m worried about managing the costs related to my cancer care, who can help me with these concerns? Who can help me understand what aspects of my care are covered by my insurance?
Whom can I call if I have a problem or question about my treatment? Whom do I call if I experience side effects?
Whom can I contact for supportive and emotional help for me? For my family?
Questions to ask your breast surgeon, before your first surgery
Are you board-certified?
Do you specialize in this type of surgery?
How many operations like the one I am considering have you performed?
Do I need any other tests before this surgery?
Am I candidate for a lumpectomy?
Do I need a mastectomy? If so, would you recommend an immediate breast reconstruction (plastic surgery)? What are the advantages and disadvantages to this?
Do the lymph nodes in my underarm be removed?
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?
Should I consider chemotherapy before surgery?
If have a strong family history of cancer, what is my chance of getting another cancer? How does that change my treatment options?
When do I need to make a decision about surgery?
What should I do to get ready for the operation? Do you have recommendations on how to help me relax before surgery?
What medications and supplements should I stop taking? Should I stop taking hormone replacement therapy? What about birth control pills?
How long will my surgery take?
Will you describe exactly what you will be doing during this operation, and why?
What type of anesthesia will I need for this operation?
Where will the scar be, and what will it look like?
What are the potential risks and side effects of this operation?
What can be done to ease side effects following surgery?
What can I expect regarding the operation?
- Will I need to be admitted to a hospital for this operation? If so, how long will I stay in the hospital?
- How long do I have to wait for my preoperative test results? Do I call you, or does your office call me?
- Will a pathologist examine the tissue and write a report? Who will explain that report to me?
- What are the possible complications for this type of surgery? How would I know if there is a problem?
- How long will it take me to recover after the surgery?
- When can I return to work and other daily activities?
- Will I have stitches, staples, and/or bandages?
- Will there be permanent effects from the surgery?
- Are there instructions or post-operative care pamphlets I can take home with me? When can I shower or bathe?
- Will I need to have surgical drains? What does this mean? How long will the surgical drains be in?
- When will I need to return for a follow-up appointment?
- Will I need help at home after the surgery?
- What kind of pain will I be in afterwards? Can you help me manage my pain?
Questions to ask your breast surgeon, after your first surgery
What type of breast cancer do I have?
What is the size of the tumor?
What is the grade and stage of this disease? What does this mean?
Can you explain my pathology report (laboratory test results) to me?
Can I get a copy of my pathology report? How and when can I get these results?
Was all of the cancer removed during the surgery?
Has the cancer spread to my lymph nodes or anywhere else in my body?
Do I need additional surgery?
If I have a mastectomy without reconstruction, where can I get a prosthesis?
Will I be able to use my arm after surgery?
When will I be able to work and/or return to my normal routine?
Questions to ask your medical oncologist
What type of breast cancer do I have?
What is the size of my tumor?
What is the grade and stage of this disease? What does this mean?
What is the hormone status of my tumor? What does this mean?
What is my HER2 status? What does this mean?
Do I need other treatment, such as chemotherapy or hormone therapy?
When do I need to make a decision about starting additional treatment?
Do I need more tests to find out if there is cancer anywhere else in my body?
Do you recommend genetic testing and seeing a genetics counselor?
Should I consider my family’s history of breast cancer in making my decision about treatment?
If have a strong family history of cancer, what is my chance of getting another cancer?
What is my prognosis?
What are my options for treatment?
What clinical trials are available to me?
What is chemotherapy? What is hormone (endocrine) therapy? What is targeted therapy?
How will each treatment option benefit me? What are the risks?
What is the expected timeline for each treatment option?
What can I do to get ready for this treatment?
What are the potential side effects of this treatment?
What can be done to ease side effects?
How will this treatment affect my daily life? Will I be able to work, exercise, and perform my usual activities?
What lifestyle changes should I consider making during my treatment?
Do you recommend any nutritional supplements or changes to my diet?
Will I lose my hair?
What clinical trials are open to me?
How does having reached (or not reached) menopause affect my treatment options?
Could this treatment affect my fertility (ability to have children in the future)? Are there other treatments available that do not pose as high a risk to my fertility but are equally effective?
Will attempting to preserve fertility decrease the effectiveness of my cancer treatments (for example, is there a risk of hormones used in this treatment affecting my type of breast cancer, or is there a risk in delaying cancer treatment in order to have this treatment)?
How long should I wait after cancer treatment before trying to have a child?
Can I become pregnant while receiving chemotherapy or radiation therapy? What happens if I become pregnant during treatment? Is there a risk of birth defects and/or harm to the fetus and/or to me?
How will you determine if the cancer has come back after treatment?
After my treatment has ended, what will my follow-up care plan be?
How often will I need to see a doctor?
What tests will I need?
How often will I need those tests?
Can I get copies of my laboratory test results?
Questions to ask your radiation oncologist
What is radiation therapy?
What is the goal of this treatment? Is it to eliminate the cancer?
What are the chances that this treatment will prevent the cancer from coming back?
How often will I receive radiation therapy?
How much time will each treatment take?
Can I bring someone with me to treatment?
Will each treatment be the same? Does the radiation dose or area treated change throughout the period of treatment?
What can I do to get ready for this treatment? Are there recommendations on what clothes to wear or leave behind?
How will this treatment affect my daily life? Will I be able to work, exercise, and perform my usual activities?
Will you describe what I will experience when I receive radiation therapy? Will it hurt or cause me discomfort during the treatment?
What are the potential side effects of this treatment? How can I ease side effects?
How will my skin be affected during radiation therapy? What skin products can I use each day?
Do I need to be concerned about sun exposure?
Should I avoid certain foods, vitamins, or supplements?
Should I avoid using deodorant or antiperspirant during treatment?
What are the possible long-term effects of this treatment?
If I decide to have reconstructive surgery, how would that affect my treatment plan?
Will this treatment affect my fertility?
Are there special services for patients receiving radiation therapy, such as certain parking spaces or parking rates?
Questions to ask your plastic surgeon
Are you board-certified?
Is breast reconstruction your specialty?
How many breast reconstruction surgeries do you perform in a year?
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?
When can I have my reconstruction?
Will I need surgery to the non-reconstructed breast to make the breasts symmetrical?
Will I need to coordinate this with my breast surgeon?
If I have radiation therapy, does that change my options for reconstruction?
What are tissue expanders, and will I need them?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?
Which type of implants do you recommend (saline or silicone), and why? What size?
If you use tissue from another part of my body to rebuild my breast(s), where do you recommend it be taken from, and why?
If I have a mastectomy with implant reconstruction, can I also have a nipple reconstruction? If so, when?
What are the costs involved with breast reconstruction? What is covered by my insurance?
How long will the surgery take?
What do I need to do to prepare for the surgery?
What type of anesthesia will I need for this operation?
What can I expect after the operation?
- How long will I stay in the hospital?
- What are the possible complications for this type of surgery?
- How long will it take me to recover?
- When can I resume my normal activities, including exercise?
- Will I need to have surgical drains? What does this mean?
- Will I have stitches, staples, and/or bandages?
- Will there be a scar or other permanent effects from the surgery?
- Are there instructions or post-operative care pamphlets I can take home with me?
- When will I need to return for a follow-up appointment?
What type of results can I expect?
If the reconstruction is on one side only, will it match my other breast’s size and shape?
How will the reconstructed breast feel to the touch?
What type of sensation (feeling) will the reconstructed breast have?
What changes to the reconstructed breast can I expect over time?
Will I need to have surgery again in the future (for example, to replace implants over time)?
What can I expect if my weight changes?
What if I become pregnant in the future?
Questions to ask your fertility specialist
If they are concerned about their ability to have children in the future, young women diagnosed with breast cancer may wish to consult with a fertility specialist, in addition to the doctors listed above, before cancer treatment begins.
How often do you advise people with cancer?
What are my options to preserve my fertility?
What are the costs involved with my options to preserve fertility? What is covered by my insurance?
Learn more about preserving fertility before cancer treatment.
Last Updated: November 19, 2009
