If you are diagnosed with breast cancer, ask your specialist doctor or breast care nurse, ask
- What is the type and extent of the breast cancer?
- What’s my prognosis?
- What are my treatment options and how soon can they start?
- Should I continue taking HRT or the Pill?
- Are there any changes I should make to make to my lifestyle (diet, exercise, smoking)?
- Will I be able to carry on working?
- Are my female relatives at a higher than average breast cancer risk?
- Can I have tests to find out if the cancer has spread to other parts of my body?
- Are there any clinical trials that I might be able to participate in?
- What services does this hospital provide to help me through this?
- Who can I telephone later if I’m worried about diagnosis and treatment?
On discussing treatment options such as radiotherapy, chemotherapy, drugs, surgery etc, ask
- What is the best treatment for me and why?
- Can you tell me how I can expect to benefit from the chosen treatments?
- What will it involve and how long will it take?
- What are the short-term and long-term side effects of the treatment(s)?
- Can I take steps to minimise side effects?
If you need a surgical procedure such as lumpectomy, local excisions or mastectomy, ask
- How much tissue will you remove and will you remove lymph nodes to see if my cancer has spread?
- Can I have a breast reconstruction at the same time as surgery?
- What complications could arise after surgery?
- How soon can I be operated on and how long will I be in hospital?
After surgery, ask
- Do I need further treatment(s) such as radiotherapy, chemotherapy, tamoxifen etc and why?
- What exercise should I do to prevent lymphoedema (arm swelling) and ease general movement, and for how long should I do them?
Before chemotherapy or radiotherapy treatment, ask
- How will I benefit from treatment?
- How many courses will I need, and how long will they take?
- What will be short-term and long-term side effects (i.e. hair loss, fertility loss, skin irritation)?
- What can I do to minimise these side effects?
- During chemotherapy, will the nurses on have the appropriate training?
After treatment, ask
- How often will I need check-ups and how often should I check my breasts?
- What is the chance of the cancer returning?