Questions you might like to ask your doctor

It is important to ask your specialist questions, especially if you feel confused or uncertain about your treatment. If you have a lot of questions, you could also talk to a cancer care coordinator or nurse. You may want to make a list of questions before appointments and include some of these questions:

• Is targeted therapy available as part of my treatment plan? If not, why not?
• Which targeted therapy drug are you recommending as part of my treatment plan? Does this drug have different names?
• How often have you prescribed this targeted therapy? Has it worked well for your other patients?
• What do you expect the targeted therapy drug to do to the cancer?
• Will it be my only treatment or will I also have other treatments?
• How much will targeted therapy cost? Is there any way to reduce the cost if I can’t afford it?
• Are there any clinical trials that would give me access to new types of targeted therapy?
• How often will I have targeted therapy?
• How long will I receive targeted therapy?
• Where will I have targeted therapy? Will I need to come to the hospital or treatment centre for an IV infusion or injection, or will I just need to take tablets or capsules at home?
• If I am taking the treatment at home, can I get the script filled at any pharmacy?
• What side effects should I watch out for or report?
• Will the drugs affect my immune system?
•  Should I still have vaccinations?
• Who do I contact if I get side effects?
• How can side effects be managed?
• How will I know if the treatment is working?