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:

For patients with primary melanoma (initial diagnosis of a skin lesion):

• What stage of melanoma do I have? What is the size, in millimeters, of the melanoma? Is the melanoma ulcerated? What is the depth of the melanoma (the Clark’s level)?
  
  
• Can you explain my pathology report (laboratory test results) to me?
  
  
• Is it likely the melanoma has spread? Why or why not?
  
  
• What stage of melanoma do I have?
  
  
• What are my treatment options?
  
  
• What clinical trials are open to me?
  
  
• What treatment plan do you recommend? Why?
  
  
• What are the goals of this treatment?
  
  
• Will surgery be able to remove all of the cancer? Do I need additional surgery?
  
  
• After the surgical removal of the melanoma, will I need a skin graft?
  
  
• Should I have a sentinel lymph node biopsy to find out if there is spread to the lymph nodes?
  
  
• Should I have another type(s) of treatment following surgery?
  
  
• What are the possible side effects of this treatment, 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?
  
  
• If I’m worried about managing the costs related to my cancer care, who can help me with these concerns?
  
  
• Is the cancer likely to recur?
  
  
• What is my prognosis?
  
  
• What follow-up test will I need, and how often will I need them?
  
  
• What steps can I take to reduce the risk of additional new melanomas?
  
  
• Are my family members at a higher risk of melanoma?
  
  
• What support services are available to me? To my family?

For patients with stage III melanoma (when the sentinel lymph node biopsy indicates cancer is present or when cancer is found in the lymph nodes):

• Will the remainder of the lymph nodes be removed?
  
  
• What are the potential complications of lymph node surgery?
  
  
• How many lymph nodes are affected?
  
  
• Is there any extracapsular extension of the melanoma (that is, has the melanoma spilled out of the lymph node)? What does this mean?
  
  
• Is radiation therapy recommended after surgery?
  
  
• Do recommend other types of treatment after surgery? What are the risks and benefits of each treatment?
  
  
• What are the goals of treatment?
  
  
• What are the side effects of each treatment?
  
  
• What clinical trials are open to me?
  
  
• What is my prognosis?
  
  
• What follow-up care is necessary?

For patients with stage IV (advanced) melanoma:

• Where has the disease spread? Is a brain scan or PET scan necessary to determine where it has spread?
  
  
• What are the treatment options?
  
  
• What are the goals of treatment?
  
  
• Is surgical removal of the metastases an option (especially if one or two tumors are present)? If so, what are the benefits and risks?
  
  
• What clinical trials are open to me?
  
  
• What is my prognosis?