Questions to Ask Your Doctor After Receiving a Diagnosis
When you learn that you have ACC, choosing knowledgeable and highly skilled doctors will be one of the most important decisions you’ll make. It’s also important that you find a doctor you feel comfortable with and who will work with you through your diagnosis and treatment.
Questions to Ask Your Doctor After Receiving a Diagnosis
When you learn that you have ACC, choosing knowledgeable and highly skilled doctors will be one of the most important decisions you’ll make. It’s also important that you find a doctor you feel comfortable with and who will work with you through your diagnosis and treatment.
After your diagnosis, you may see more than one kind of doctor. You may seek the advice of a ‘multidisciplinary team’ which may include surgeons, radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, speech pathologists, plastic surgeons and more. Most often, your treatment type will determine who your main cancer doctor will be. A surgeon will often be the first medical professional seen by an ACC patient. This specialty can be further broken down based on the location of the tumor such as a surgeon who specializes in the larynx, sinus, eyes, ears, breast and more.
It will be important to have honest, open discussions with your physician(s) to make well informed decisions. Here are some questions for your doctor that may help you learn about your cancer care and the choices you’ll have to make. Not all these questions may apply to you, but asking the ones that do may be helpful.
Questions to ask about your physician(s)
- How much experience or knowledge do you have treating ACC?
- How many procedures like mine have you done?
- Should I get a 2nd opinion? If so, can you recommend a doctor or cancer center?
- How many other doctors will I be seeing for my treatment plan and why?
- If several specialists are involved, who will be leading my overall treatment?
Questions to ask about your diagnosis and pathology report
- Where is the cancer (which gland) located?
- Can I see a picture of exactly where the tumor is located?
- What is the stage of my cancer and what does that mean?
- Is the cancer high grade (likely to grow and spread quickly) or low grade (slower growing)?
- Can you tell me what kind of ACC cells exist (cribriform, tubular, solid) and what this means?
- Has the cancer spread beyond the primary site?
- What are the written results of the X-Ray, CT or MRI scans or any other diagnostic tests?
- Are we going to consider a scan for the lungs as ACC has a high propensity to spread to the lungs?
Questions to ask about your treatment plan and possible side-effects
- What are my treatment options? What treatment do you recommend and why?
- What is the goal of the treatment?
- Is there a choice between surgery and radiation, or both?
- If both are being recommended, why?
- What are the short and long-term side effects?
- What type of radiation do you suggest and what can you offer (photon, proton, carbon-ion)?
- What are the advantages, disadvantages and risks for each kind of treatment?
- Will I have trouble eating, swallowing, hearing or speaking after treatment?
- Will I need any kind of speech/swallowing therapy?
- When should I talk to a dentist or prosthodontist?
- Will I experience any disfigurement or nerve damage? If so, what are my options for reconstruction?
- What discomfort or pain will I experience?
- What types of palliative treatments do you recommend for dealing with side effects?
- How long does it take to recover from the treatment?
- Will any current treatment options limit future treatment options?
- How will my lifestyle change regarding work, family relationships, and recreation?
- How quickly do I need to decide on treatment?
- Are there mental health professionals I can see If I start to feel overwhelmed?
- If I have questions or problems, who should I call?
Questions about Follow Up Care and Expectations: Life after Treatment
- How often will I need to have follow up visits/scans/exams after treatment? (and at what frequency each year?)
- Is there a chance that the cancer will recur?
- How will I know if a recurrence does take place?
- Is there a role or good clinical reason for chemotherapy?
- In the future, are there any clinical trials for new targeted ACC treatments that I should consider, and what are the reasons you would recommend them?
Questions about Insurance and Financial Considerations
- Who do I speak with about the costs and how my insurance coverage will be handled?
- Are there any other resources available if I need help financially? (lodging, transportation, filing for temporary disability if needed).
