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:

• What type of tumor do I have?
  
  
• How often do you treat patients with this type of tumor?
  
  
• Is it functioning or nonfunctioning? What does this mean?
  
  
• Is it cancerous or benign?
  
  
• Has the tumor spread outside the pancreas?
  
  
• Can you explain my pathology report to me?
  
  
• What are the treatment options?
  
  
• What clinical trials are open to me?
  
  
• What is the goal of each treatment option?
  
  
• What treatment do you recommend? Why?
  
  
• What are the possible side effects of each treatment option, 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?

For people who need surgery:

• Can you explain what will happen during the surgery?
  
  
• Will I need to stay in the hospital for this surgery? For how long?
  
  
• What side effects will there be from my surgery?
  
  
• Will this surgery affect my ability to digest food? How? For how long?
  
  
• Will I need to take medicine, hormones or enzymes after this surgery? For how long?
  
  
• How can other side effects be treated?

For people who need chemotherapy:

• What types of chemotherapy will I receive?
  
  
• How can I best prepare myself for this treatment?
  
  
• What side effects can I expect from this treatment?
  
  
• What will be done to treat the side effects?

After treatment:

• What are the chances that the tumor 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?