Cancer.Net Guide Retinoblastoma - Childhood
 Questions to Ask the Doctor
Retinoblastoma - Childhood
This section has been reviewed and approved by the Cancer.Net Editorial Board,
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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:
- Does my child have the genetic form of retinoblastoma?
- What is the stage of the disease? What does this mean?
- What are the treatment options?
- What clinical trials are open to my child?
- Who will be part of my child’s health care team, and what does each member do?
- Who will be coordinating my child’s overall treatment and follow-up care?
- What treatment do you recommend? Why?
- What is the likelihood that the recommended treatment can save my child’s vision?
- If enucleation is needed, what support services are available to help my child adjust to the partial/total loss of vision?
- If enucleation is needed, how soon can my child receive a prosthesis (artificial eye)?
- If recommended, what can I expect chemotherapy to accomplish in the treatment of my child’s cancer?
- If recommended, what are the relative benefits and risks of radiation therapy in treating my child?
- What are the common side effects of each treatment, both in the short term and 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 are they needed?
- What support services are available to my child? To my family?
Last Updated: April 01, 2010
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