Questions to Ask the Doctor

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

• What type of leukemia does my child have?
  
  
• Can you explain my child’s pathology report (laboratory test results) to me?
  
  
• Will more tests be needed to confirm the diagnosis?
  
  
• What are the results of the analysis of the spinal fluid? What does this mean?
  
  
• What are the results of the bone marrow aspiration? What does this mean?
  
  
• What are the results of the cytogenetic studies done? What does this mean?
  
  
• What are the treatment options?
  
  
• What clinical trials are open for my child?
  
  
• What treatment option 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 child’s daily life? Will he or she be able to attend school and perform his or her usual activities?
  
  
• 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?