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:

Before biopsy:

• How experienced is the surgeon in doing this type of biopsy?
  
  
• If the diagnosis is bone cancer, is the surgeon part of a team that is experienced in treating people with bone cancer? If not, can you or the surgeon refer me to a team?

After biopsy:

• Is the pathologist (a doctor who specializes in interpreting laboratory tests and diagnosing disease) experienced in the diagnosis of osteosarcoma? And, is the diagnosis certain?
  
  
• Can you explain my child’s pathology report (laboratory test results) to me?
  
  
• Is the disease localized (limited to the bone of origin)?
  
  
• What are the treatment options?
  
  
• What clinical trials are open to my child?
  
  
• What treatment do you recommend? Why?
  
  
• Where will treatment take place?
  
  
• Does this cancer center specialize in the treatment of children, adolescents, and young adults with cancer?
  
  
• 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?