ON THIS PAGE: You will find some questions to ask your child’s doctor or other members of your child’s health care team, to help you better understand your child’s diagnosis, treatment plan, and overall care. Use the menu to see other pages.

Talking often with your child’s health care team is important to make informed decisions about your child’s health care. These suggested questions are a starting point to help you learn more about your child’s cancer care and treatment. You are also encouraged to ask additional questions that are important to you. You may want to print this list and bring it to your child’s next appointment, or download Cancer.Net’s free mobile app for a digital list and other interactive tools to manage your child’s care.

Questions to ask after getting a diagnosis

• What type of NHL does my child have?

• What is the stage of the disease? What does this mean?

• Can you explain my child’s pathology report (laboratory test results) to me?

Questions to ask about choosing a treatment and managing side effects

• What are my child's treatment options?

• What clinical trials are available for my child? Where are they located, and how do I find out more about them?

• What treatment plan do you recommend? Why?

• What is the goal of each treatment? Is it to eliminate the cancer, help my child feel better, or both?

• Will my child receive chemotherapy, targeted therapy, or immunotherapy?

• Should my child receive a bone marrow/stem cell transplantation?

• Will my child receive radiation therapy?

• What are the possible side effects of each treatment, both in the short term and the long term?

• Will my child need to stay in the hospital? If so, for how long? How often?

• Who will be part of my child’s health care team, and what does each member do?

• Who will be leading my child’s overall treatment?

• How will this treatment affect my child’s daily life? Will they be able to go to school and perform their usual activities?

• Will this treatment affect my child’s ability to become pregnant or have children in the future? If so, should we talk with a fertility specialist before treatment begins?

• If I’m worried about managing the costs of cancer care, who can help me?

• What support services are available to my child? To my family?

• If I have questions or problems, who should I call?

Questions to ask about having surgery

• What type of surgery will my child have? Will lymph nodes be removed?

• How long will the operation take?

• How long will my child be in the hospital?

• Can you describe what my child's recovery from surgery will be like?

• Who should I contact about any side effects my child experiences? And how soon?

• What are the possible long-term effects of having this surgery?

Questions to ask about having therapies using medication

• What type of treatment is recommended?

• What is the goal of this treatment?

• How long will it take to give this treatment?

• Will my child receive this treatment at a hospital or clinic? Or will they take it at home?

• What side effects can my child expect during treatment?

• Who should I contact about any side effects my child experiences? And how soon?

• What are the possible long-term effects of having this treatment?

• What can be done to relieve the side effects?

Questions to ask about having radiation therapy

• What type of treatment is recommended?

• What is the goal of this treatment?

• How long will it take to give this treatment?

• What side effects can my child expect during treatment?

• Who should I contact about any side effects my child experiences? And how soon?

• What are the possible long-term effects of having this treatment?

• What can be done to relieve the side effects?

Questions to ask about planning follow-up care

• What is the chance that the cancer will come back? Should I watch for specific signs or symptoms?

• What long-term side effects or late effects are possible based on the cancer treatment my child received?

• What follow-up tests will my child need, and how often will those tests be needed?

• How do I get a treatment summary and survivorship care plan to keep in my family’s records?

• Who will be leading my child’s follow-up care?

• What survivorship support services are available to my child? To my family?

The next section in this guide is Additional Resources. It offers more resources on this website that may be helpful to you. Use the menu to choose a different section to read in this guide.