Surgical Cancer Questions
Many women with breast cancer will need to have breast cancer surgery. Usually this is to remove tumors affecting the breasts or lymph nodes, or surgery to remove part or all of the breast or breasts. Here are some questions you can think about asking.
What type of surgery will provide me with the best results? What can I expect during surgery? How long will it take to recover? What other treatment will I need following surgery, and will surgery or other treatments cause side effects? How long will it take to recover? Are there any signs or symptoms I should look for after surgery suggesting problems?
Radiation Questions
Radiation is often a treatment choice for many women with breast cancer. There are some specific questions you can ask to help you better understand your treatment alternatives.
- What is radiation therapy and how exactly does it work?
- Doesn't radiation cause cancer? How can it cure cancer?
- How many sessions will I have to undergo before my cancer is effectively treated?
- What are the side effects of radiation therapy and how can I cope with them?
- Should I bring someone with me during treatment?
- Are you available for questions following treatment, or is there an on call specialist I can talk to if I feel I have an emergency?
- Are there specific changes I will need to make in my diet or lifestyle to commit to radiation therapy?
- What are my odds of survival?
If you have other questions, regardless of the treatments you select or those available to you and make sure to write them down. You should never feel shy about asking your doctors and specialists questions about your disease or about the treatments they plan to offer you.
Remember, an educated patient is the patient that is most likely to conquer and survive breast cancer permanently!
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