Questions for Your Mesothelioma Doctor or Specialist
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| Ask About Malignant Mesothelioma |
Questions To Ask About Malignant Mesothelioma
It’s important to have honest, open discussions with your cancer care team. You should feel free to ask any question, no matter how small it might seem. Here are some questions you might want to ask:
- What kind of mesothelioma do I have?
- Has my cancer spread beyond where it started?
- What is the stage (extent) of the cancer, and what does that mean?
- Is my cancer likely to be resectable (removable by surgery)?
- Do I need other tests before we can decide on treatment?
- Do I need to see any other types of doctors?
- How much experience do you have treating this type of cancer?
- Should I get a second opinion? Can you recommend someone?
- What are my treatment options?
- What is the goal of treatment?
- What do you recommend and why?
- How quickly do we need to decide on treatment?
- What should I do to be ready for treatment?
- How long will treatment last? What will it be like? Where will it be done?
- What risks or side effects are there to the treatments you suggest?
- How will treatment affect my daily activities?
- What will we do if the treatment doesn’t work or if the cancer recurs?
- What type of follow-up might I need after treatment?
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Along with these sample questions, be sure to write down some of your own. For instance, you might want more information about recovery times. Or you may want to ask if you qualify for any clinical trials.
Keep in mind that doctors aren’t the only ones who can give you information. Other health care professionals, such as nurses and social workers, can answer some of your questions. To find out more about speaking with your health care team, see The Doctor- Patient Relationship.
Making treatment decisions
After the cancer is found and staged, your cancer care team will discuss your treatment options with you. The main factors in selecting treatment for mesotheliomas are the location and extent of the tumor, whether it has spread to lymph nodes or other organs, and your health and personal preferences. Based on these factors, your treatment options may include:
- Surgery
- Radiation therapy
- Chemotherapy
More than one of these treatments may be used in many cases. To learn about the most common approaches to treating mesothelioma, see Treatment of Mesothelioma Based on the Extent of the Cancer.
Read Also: chemotherapy for pleural mesotheliomaMesothelioma can be hard to treat because it typically does not grow as a single tumor mass. It tends to spread along nearby surfaces, nerves, and blood vessels. This often makes it very hard to get rid of the cancer completely with surgery and/or radiation. For some people, palliative procedures might be used to help treat some symptoms of mesothelioma.
Because mesothelioma is a rare cancer, it has been hard for doctors to compare the value of different treatments. Only a few large clinical trials of treatments for mesothelioma have been done. In addition, many doctors have very little experience treating this disease. They usually refer patients to specialists who treat large numbers of mesothelioma patients at major medical centers.
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survival rate mesothelioma
Mesothelioma Treatment Options
Making the decision about clinical trials
Living with Mesothelioma
Treatments for Malignant Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma Patients
Making the decision about clinical trials