Booklet: What You Need to Know about Melanoma

Preparing for Treatment

Many people with cancer want to learn all they can about their disease and their treatment choices so they can take an active part in decisions about their medical care. When a person is diagnosed with cancer, shock and stress are natural reactions. These feelings may make it difficult for patients to think of everything they want to ask the doctor. Often, it helps to make a list of questions. To help remember what the doctor says, patients may take notes or ask whether they may use a tape recorder. Some people also want to have a family member or friend with them when they talk to the doctor--to take part in the discussion, to take notes, or just to listen.

 

These are some questions a patient may want to ask the doctor before treatment begins: What is my diagnosis? What is the stage of the disease? What are the treatment choices? Which do you recommend? Why? What are the chances that the treatment will be successful? What new treatments are being studied? Would a treatment study be appropriate for me? What are the risks and possible side effects of each treatment? How will I feel after the operation? If I have pain, how can it be controlled? Will I need more treatment after surgery? Will I need a skin graft or plastic surgery? Will there be a scar? Will treatment affect my normal activities? If so, for how long? How often will I need checkups? What is the treatment likely to cost?

Patients do not need to ask all their questions or remember all the answers at one time. They will have other chances to ask the doctor to explain things and to get more information.

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