Understanding Immunotherapy
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Understanding Immunotherapy
Question checklist
It is important to ask your specialist questions, especially if you feel confused or uncertain about your treatment. You may want to make a list of your questions before your appointments and include some of the questions below.
- Is immunotherapy available as part of my treatment plan? If not, why not? Would other treatment options be better for me?
- How do I find out about clinical trials? Are there any nearby that might be right for me?
- Which immunotherapy drug are you recommending? Does it have different names?
- What percentage of people with this type of cancer respond to immunotherapy?
- How often have you prescribed this treatment? Has it worked well for your other patients?
- What do you expect the immunotherapy to do to the cancer? Will it be my only treatment?
- How much will immunotherapy cost? Is there any way to reduce the cost if I can’t afford it?
- How often will I receive immunotherapy?
- How long will I have treatment?
- Where will I have treatment?
- What side effects should I watch out for or report? Can I get some written information about them?
- Am I likely to get all of the side effects on the list?
- Who do I contact if I get side effects?
- How can side effects be managed?
- Will I have to pay for extra medicines to help manage side effects?
- Can I take my other medicines while I am having immunotherapy?
- Can I have the flu, COVID-19 or other vaccines?
- How will I know if the treatment is working?
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This information is reviewed by
This information was last reviewed July 2021 by the following expert content reviewers: Dr Jenny Lee, Medical Oncologist, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, NSW; Prof Michael Boyer, Medical Oncologist and Chief Clinical Officer, Lung and Thoracic Cancer, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, and Central Clinical School, The University of Sydney, NSW; A/Prof Christine Carrington, Senior Consultant Pharmacist Cancer Services, Princess Alexandra Hospital, QLD; Dr Inês Pires da Silva, Medical Oncology Fellow, Melanoma Institute Australia and Westmead and Blacktown hospitals, NSW; Sandra Donaldson, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council WA; Sherry Gilbert, Consumer; Marilyn Nelson, Consumer; Julie Teraci, Skin and Melanoma Cancer Nurse Coordinator, WA Cancer and Palliative Care Network, North Metropolitan Health Service, WA; Helen Westman, Lung Cancer Nurse Coordinator, Cancer and Palliative Care Network, Royal North Shore Hospital, NSW.