Questions to ask your your oncologist about bladder cancer treatment

Whether you’re leaning toward an approved bladder cancer treatment or a clinical trial treatment, it’s paramount to get all of the relevant information from your oncologist. Ultimately, your decision will be based on which bladder cancer treatment option seems to offer the most potential benefits with the least drawbacks.

dots

  • Where do I receive the bladder cancer treatment?

  • Is it an outpatients clinic or will I need to stay in the clinic?

  • How many bladder cancer treatment cycles will I receive?

  • How is the bladder cancer drug delivered?

  • What are the known side effects of the bladder cancer treatment?

  • Are there short or long term side effects from the bladder cancer treatment?

  • How long will the side effects stay after the bladder cancer treatment is done?

  • How can the side effects of the bladder cancer treatment be overcome?

  • How will the bladder cancer treatment affect my daily life?

  • Will I be able to work during the bladder cancer treatment?

  • Will I be able to take care of myself or will I need help?

  • Will I be able to take care of my family?

  • What is the expected outcome of the treatment?

  • What is the bladder cancer treatment’s success rate?

  • What is the likelihood that the bladder cancer will come back?

  • If a clinical trial is using new drugs, were they previously tested on a different type of cancer?

  • What were the outcomes of previous bladder cancer clinical trials?

illus-doc
Download this questionnaire, print it out, and bring it to your first oncologist appointment. There’s space for you to write the answers to each question on the pdf print-out.