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 pancreatic cancer do I have?
  
  
• Is my cancer limited to the pancreas?
  
  
• What is the stage of the disease? What does this mean?
  
  
• Can you explain my pathology report (laboratory test results) to me?
  
  
• What are my treatment options?
  
  
• What clinical trials are open to me?
  
  
• What is the goal of each treatment? What is my prognosis (chance of recovery)?
  
  
• What treatment, or combination of treatments, do you recommend? Why?
  
  
• Is surgery a possibility to remove the cancer?
  
  
• How experienced is my surgeon in performing this type of operation?
  
  
• If surgery is not a possibility, what are my other options to treat my cancer?
  
  
• Can chemotherapy control my cancer?
  
  
• Should I receive radiation therapy? Why or why not?
  
  
• What are the 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?
  
  
• What is my prognosis (chance of recovery)?
  
  
• What follow-up tests will I need, and how often will I need them?
  
  
• What support services are available to me? To my family?