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Making Decisions: Questions to Ask
By asking a lot of questions, you can find out where you really stand and get the best treatment available.
It’s hard to think of everything when you are under the pressure of having to make a decision.
People often think of the best questions after it’s too late to ask them.
We’re putting together a list of every question we can find, so you can benefit from the experience of others. We hope you’ll add questions to the list, so others can benefit from your experience too.
 Questions to Ask Your Doctor
Questions to Think About
Print out a copy of the full list and take it with you as you visit your doctors. It’s a good idea to bring a notebook. You can use it to keep track of your visits and write down what you learn.
Questions to Ask Your Doctor |
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- What tests or procedures do I need to be properly diagnosed?
- What are the stages and grades of prostate cancer?
- What is my clinical stage and grade?
- Are you sure? Is my cancer properly staged?
- Can I get a second opinion from a pathologist who specializes in prostate cancer?
- Can I get a copy of my pathology report?
- What is the PSA test and what does it tell you? How is it used during and after treatment?
- Can the cancer spread to other parts of my body? What are the chances it has spread? If so, is it still curable?
- What are my treatment options? What are the benefits, risks, and side effects of each?
- What are my odds of success (prognosis) given my situation and options?
- How do my family and medical history affect my odds?
- What do the statistics in the prognosis mean to me?
- What are the chances of recurrence with my treatment options?
- Can I get advice from specialists in each treatment before deciding? (Surgeons tend to recommend surgery, radiologists suggest radiation, and so on.) Or from someone who is “neutral”?
- How important is my age, or lifestyle in making treatment decisions?
- What is watchful waiting? Is it an option for me?
If I choose surgery:
- How long will I be in the hospital?
- How much time will I need to recover?
- Will you use the nerve-sparing technique to lower my chances of erectile dysfunction?
- How many times have you done this procedure? (several hundred is a good answer more is better)
- What happens if you find cancer outside the prostate during surgery?
If I choose radiation therapy:
- How much time will it take?
- How many visits will it take?
- What type of radiation will you use?
- What are the costs and benefits of external beam versus seed implantation therapy?
- How will you target the cancer and try to spare the surrounding tissue?
- How successful have you been in avoiding impotence and incontinence?
- How many times have you done this procedure? (several hundred is a good answer more is better)
- Are there delayed side effects of radiation?
- What kind of follow-up care will I receive?
- How long will I need to continue in follow-up care?
- Is there a difference in cost between the various options?
- Are they all covered by my insurance?
- What can I do if I don’t have insurance?
- How will treatment affect my sex life?
- Will I have problems with incontinence?
- What about bowel problems?
- Are side effects temporary or permanent?
- How are they treated?
- Should I follow a special diet?
- Should I keep on or start exercising?
- Will I need to stop working or change my schedule?
- Who can I talk to if I’m angry, stressed out, or not sure what to do?
- Do you recommend any support programs?
- How might all this affect my spouse or partner?
- What should I tell my kids?
- What if cancer gets worse or comes back after my initial treatment?
- Where can I find out about experimental treatment options?
- Are there lab tests, such as molecular profiling, to show what drugs will work best on my cancer?
- Is this the best place for me to be treated?
- Is the cancer program accredited by the NCI or American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer?
- How many people are treated by this program every year?
- How experienced is my doctor or surgeon? How many times have they done this procedure? (the more, the better)
- What are the newest treatments?
- Is there anything in research trials that could help me?
- Is there anything recently approved, but not yet widely available?
Questions to Think About |
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- Are you young enough that even a slow growing cancer will eventually pose a threat?
- How good is your health, generally? Are you in good enough condition for surgery?
- Would you find it too stressful to live with cancer that is not being treated?
- Are you willing to risk serious side effects to reduce the chance of dying from cancer?
- How important is it for you to be able to maintain control of your bladder?
- How important is it for you to be able to get erections?
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Decisions Overview
