Questions to Ask About Treatment for Kidney Cancer

It helps to learn all you can about your disease and treatment choices. It helps you take an active part in decisions about your medical care. Discuss these choices with your doctor, other healthcare professionals, and loved ones. Your doctor is the best person to answer your questions about treatment. Make sure you ask how the treatment will change your daily life, including your diet, and how you will look and feel after treatment. Ask how successful the treatment is expected to be, and what the risks and possible side effects are. You may also want to ask what your options will be if the cancer comes back, called recurrence.

Doctors are also finding new ways to treat kidney cancer. These new methods are tested in clinical trials. Before beginning treatment, ask your doctor if there are any clinical trials you should consider.

Here are some ways you can find information about clinical trials for cancer.

• Call the Kidney Cancer Association at 1-800-850-9132 .

• Go to www.curekidneycancer.org . 

• Call the National Cancer Institute’s free PDQ line at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).

• Go to www.clinicaltrials.gov .

At first, the information you receive about treatment options may seem overwhelming. You may find it helpful to make a list of your questions before seeing your doctor. To make it easier to remember what the doctor says, you may want to take notes during meetings with your doctor or ask if you can use a tape recorder. It is also very helpful to have a family member or friend with you to take part in the discussion, to take notes, or just to listen. Use the list of questions below as a starting place for the questions you might ask.

• What treatment do you think is best for me?

• What is the success rate of this particular treatment for my type and stage of kidney cancer?

• Can I take my other medicines during the treatment period?

• What is the length of the treatment period?

• How long will each treatment take?

• Where do I have to go for the treatment?

• Who is involved in giving me the treatment?

• Does someone need to go with me during treatments?

• How will I feel after the treatment?

• What side effects can I expect?

• How long will side effects last?

• Are there side effects that I need to call you about?

• What can I do to ease the side effects?

• Will I be able to continue my normal activities such as going to work and being around my family?

• Are there any clinical trials I should look into?

• Are there support groups nearby that I can join?

• Should I change my diet? What foods can’t I eat?