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:

General questions:

• Where is the tumor located?
  
  
• Can you explain my pathology report to me?
  
  
• How aggressive is the tumor? Is it cancerous?
  
  
• Are additional treatments needed to determine if the tumor is cancerous?
  
  
• Should I be seeing a GIST specialist?
  
  
• What are my treatment options?
  
  
• What clinical trials are open to me?
  
  
• What is the goal of each option?
  
  
• What treatment do you recommend? Why?
  
  
• 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?
  
  
• Do I need treatment right away?

Questions to ask before surgery:

• Can you describe this surgery to me?
  
  
• What are the possible side effects of this surgery?
  
  
• Will I need to stay in the hospital for this surgery? For how long?
  
  
• Does the stage of cancer affect the decision for surgery? How?

Questions about imatinib mesylate (Gleevec):

• If I have surgery, should I take Gleevec before surgery? What dosage? For how long?
  
  
• If I have surgery, should I take Gleevec after surgery? What dosage? For how long?
  
  
• What factors determine how effective Gleevec is likely to be?
  
  
• What can be done if Gleevec stops working? Can I receive Sutent in that case?

Questions to ask before radiation therapy:

• What kind of radiation therapy is recommended?
  
  
• What does the preparation for this treatment involve?
  
  
• What other side effects can I expect from this treatment?
  
  
• What can be done to treat the side effects?

After treatment:

• What are the chances that the cancer will return?
  
  
• What follow-up tests do I need, and how often do I need them?
  
  
• What support services are available to me? To my family?