Questions to ask: early breast cancer treatment

Knowing what to ask your treating team can help you to make the best decisions about your treatment and care based on your individual situation. Everyone's situation is different.

Listed here are some questions that others have told us are helpful to ask.

Questions to ask your surgeon about your situation

• What type of breast cancer do I have?
• What is going to happen next?
• Can I return to the kinds of activities I was doing before my treatment started?
• Are there any changes to my lifestyle that might help my recovery?
• Is there anything I can do to reduce my risk of breast cancer coming back?

Questions about surgery

• Where will the scars be and what will they look like?
• How long will I take to recover?
• What side effects could there be?
• Can I still drive after having surgery?

Questions about chemotherapy

• How will chemotherapy benefit me?
• Which chemotherapy drug(s) do you recommend for me? Why?
• If I have chemotherapy, when will it start?
• If I have chemotherapy, how will it be given and for how long?
• How much will the chemotherapy cost?
• Will the chemotherapy recommended for me affect my ability to have children?
• What do I need to consider when deciding whether or not to work while having chemotherapy?
• If I’m taking complementary therapies, how will they affect the chemotherapy?
• What exercises do you recommend while I’m having chemotherapy?
• What sort of food can I eat while I have chemotherapy?
• What are the side effects of the drugs you are recommending?
• Are the side effects permanent or temporary?
• Who should I contact if I develop side effects that are worrying me?
• What are the gene profiling tests (genomic tests) that help decide whether chemotherapy will be of benefit and will having one help me?

Questions about radiotherapy

• Is radiotherapy recommended for me?
• How long will radiotherapy last?
• How much will any treatment cost?
• Will radiotherapy affect whether I can breastfeed?
• Will radiotherapy affect whether I can have a breast reconstruction?
• When will I have radiotherapy if I’m having other treatments for breast cancer?
• Where will I need to go for radiotherapy?
• If I have to travel a long way for radiotherapy, can I get financial support for travel and accommodation costs?
• Can I still work while I’m having radiotherapy?
• Can I still drive while I’m having radiotherapy?
• What side effects could there be?
• Who should I contact if I develop side effects that are worrying me?
• What can I do to help care for my skin during radiotherapy?
• Are the side effects permanent or temporary?

Questions about targeted therapies

• Can I take trastuzumab if I am taking hormone-blocking therapy?
• What are my other treatment options if trastuzumab is not suitable for me?
• When will I start treatment (e.g. trastuzumab) if I am having other treatments?
• What side effects could there be?
• Who should I contact if I develop side effects that are worrying me?
• Are the side effects permanent or temporary?
• Will I need to go to hospital to receive trastuzumab?
• How much will my treatment cost?
• Will I need any extra tests? How much will any extra tests cost?
• Can I take part in any clinical trials?

Questions about hormone-blocking therapy

• Which hormone-blocking therapies are suitable for me? Why?
• What does the hormone-blocking therapy you are recommending involve?
• What are the risks and benefits of the hormone-blocking therapy you’re recommending for me?
• How long will I need to take the hormone-blocking therapy?
• How much will the hormone-blocking therapy you are recommending cost?
• What are the side effects of the hormone-blocking therapy you are recommending?
• When will I start hormone-blocking therapy if I am having other treatments?
• Will taking hormone-blocking therapy affect my ability to have children?
• What contraception can I use while I am having treatment?
  Are the side effects permanent or temporary?
• Who should I contact if I develop side effects that are worrying me?

Questions to ask your health fund

• Is the treatment I am having covered by my policy, and how much will be paid?
• Does my surgeon have a 'no gap' agreement with this fund?
  Which treatments are not covered by my insurance?

Questions to ask a complementary therapies practitioner

• Exactly what is the therapy you are proposing?
• What therapy do you recommend and how do you think it could help me?
• What is your training?
• What is the evidence for the success of this therapy?
• What side effects could there be?
• How common are the side effects?
• Will this therapy interfere with or affect my breast cancer treatment(s)?