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 NHL has been diagnosed?
  
  
• What is the stage of the disease? What does this mean?
  
  
• Can you explain my child’s pathology report (laboratory test results) to me?
  
  
• What are the treatment options?
  
  
• What clinical trials are open to my child?
  
  
• What treatment plan do you recommend? Why?
  
  
• What chemotherapy will my child receive?
  
  
• Should my child receive a bone marrow/stem cell transplantation?
  
  
• Will my child receive radiation therapy?
  
  
• Will my child need to stay in the hospital?
  
  
• 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 go to school and perform his or her usual activities?
  
  
• If I’m worried about managing the costs related to my child’s cancer care, who can help me with these concerns?
  
  
• 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?