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 tumor does my child have?
  
  
• Where is it located?
  
  
• Is it cancerous?
  
  
• If so, what stage is the cancer?
  
  
• Can you explain my child’s pathology report to me?
  
  
• What are the treatment options?
  
  
• What treatment do you recommend? Why?
  
  
• What clinical trials are open to my child?
  
  
• What are the possible side effects of this treatment, both in the short term and the long term?
  
  
• How will this treatment affect my child’s daily life? Will my child be able to go to school and perform his or her usual activities?
  
  
• What are the chances that the tumor 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?