Questions to ask the doctor or nurse practitioner

The Hoffberger Breast Center at Mercy encourages patients to write down the information that the doctor or nurse practitioner gives them. This notebook will allow patients to refer back to the information obtained at each appointment.

The following questions, developed by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health, may help you determine what to ask your doctor or nurse practitioner.

During the diagnostic process:
Will I have a biopsy?
What type of biopsy will I have?
How long will the biopsy or aspiration take? Will I be awake? Will it hurt?
How soon will I know the results?
If I do have cancer, who will talk to me about treatment, and when?

Upon being diagnosed with cancer:
What kind of breast cancer do I have? Is it invasive?
What did the hormone receptor test show? What other lab tests were done on the tumor tissue, and what did they show?
How will this information help the doctor decide what type of treatment or further tests to recommend?

Before treatment:
What is the stage of my disease?
What are my treatment choices?
Which treatment do you recommend for me? Why?
What are the benefits of each treatment?
What are the risks and side effects of each treatment?
Would a clinical trial be appropriate for me?

Your First Appointment
Follow-up Appointments
Questions to Ask the Doctor