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What to Ask Your Mesothelioma Doctor

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer and have found a specialist, there are many questions you should ask your mesothelioma doctor. It is important to know how treatment of the disease may affect your life and health, plus how long you may need to experience that treatment. Chances are you already know the primary location of the malignant mesothelioma in your body, but if you don’t understand the nature of your diagnosis, ask your doctor to explain. You should also ask if there is evidence of mesothelioma cells spreading beyond the initial point of discovery.

Your doctor may refer to your mesothelioma diagnosis as being in a particular "stage," usually numbered one through four. If you don’t fully understand the stage your malignant mesothelioma is in, ask your doctor to fully explain the nature of that stage. There are two systems used to chart the progress of the disease; one is based on tumor size, the other is based on tumor size, where it has spread, and whether the lymph nodes are affected.

In the simplest terms, both systems describe stage-one mesothelioma as detection of the tumors in the left or right lung. Stages two through four involve detection of the tumors spreading to other parts of the body. Stage four is the most serious, with mesothelioma detected in the lungs, lymph nodes and/or other organs.

Once you understand the location and severity of your mesothelioma diagnosis, ask your doctor what treatment options are best for your condition. Do you need radiation therapy? Surgery? Other options? Find out what general treatment options your doctor recommends in your case. Once you know the answer, be sure to ask your doctor how you can prepare physically for your treatment. You may be required to start a restricted diet or begin taking a series of medications.

Any prescriptions you may require as part of mesothelioma treatment could interact with other medicine, so be sure to ask your doctor if any of your current medications could interfere with the proposed treatment plan. Do you take supplements, alternative medicines or over-the-counter remedies on a regular basis? Be sure to ask the doctor whether any of these are a potential problem in combination with your mesothelioma treatment.

After getting the answers to these questions, the most basic issues facing most patients include knowing how the treatment will affect their lives. Ask your doctor about typical side effects of your treatment, how long you may have to miss work, and how long the course of treatment is expected to last. Your doctor may only be able to provide general answers in the beginning--everyone reacts differently to some kinds of medication or therapies. You can still get a basic idea of what is about to happen as you and your mesothelioma doctor work together to make your treatment work for you.

 

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