Questions to Ask the Doctor

Regular communication with your child's doctor is important in making informed decisions about his or her health care. Consider asking the following questions of your child's doctor:

• What type of cancer has been diagnosed?
  
  
• What stage is the cancer? What does this mean?
  
  
• Can you explain my child’s pathology report to me?
  
  
• How much experience do you have in treating this specific type of childhood cancer?
  
  
• Who is part of the treatment team, and what does each team member do?
  
  
• What treatment options are available?
  
  
• What clinical trials are open to my child?
  
  
• What treatment do you recommend? Why?
  
  
• Will this treatment take place at a pediatric cancer center?
  
  
• What is the goal of this treatment?
  
  
• What are the possible side effects of this treatment, both in the short term and the long term?
  
  
• What are the chances that the cancer will recur?
  
  
• What follow-up tests will my child need, and how often will he or she need them?
  
  
• What support services are available to my child? To my family?