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:

• What type of kidney cancer do I have?
  
  
• What type of cell makes up the tumor?
  
  
• Can you explain my pathology report to me?
  
  
• What is the stage of my cancer? What does this mean?
  
  
• What are my treatment options?
  
  
• What clinical trials are open to me?
  
  
• What treatment do you recommend? Why?
  
  
• Who will be doing the surgery? How experienced is this person with this type of cancer?
  
  
• Can I have a partial nephrectomy? If not, why?
  
  
• What are the possible side effects of treatment, both in the short term and the long term?
  
  
• Will I need treatment after surgery? What type of treatment?
  
  
• What role, if any, do the new anti-angiogenic agents have in my treatment plan?
  
  
• Does this center have expertise in using high-dose IL-2? If not, what is the nearest center with that expertise?
  
  
• How will this treatment affect my daily life? Will I be able to work, exercise, and perform my usual activities?
  
  
• What are the chances the cancer will recur?
  
  
• What follow-up tests will I need, and how often will I need them?
  
  
• How can I keep myself as healthy as possible during treatment?
  
  
• What support services are available to me? To my family?