Questions to ask your doctor:
- What are my treatment choices?
- What treatment do you recommend? Why?
- What is the goal of this treatment?
- To control symptoms?
- To have a long-term remission—if so, for how long?
- To cure my disease?
- How many patients have you treated who have the same disease?
- What are the chances that this treatment will get rid of the disease? For how long?
- What are the chances that I could get rid of the disease without this treatment?
- What are the possible risks and side effects of the treatment?
- First few months?
- First year?
- Long term?
- What can be done to lower the side effects?
- Is it possible to continue work or school during treatment?
- What can you tell me about my quality of life after this treatment?
- How long will the treatment take?
- How will we know whether the treatment is working?
- What other choices do we have if the treatment does not work?
- Do you know of any clinical trials that might be appropriate for me?
Questions to ask if a transplant is recommended:
- When should I have a transplant?
- What are the risks of waiting or trying other treatments first?
- How long will I be in the hospital for my transplant?
- How long do I have to stay near the hospital before I can return home?
- What can I do to take care of myself and get better after transplant?
- Is having a caregiver a requirement for this center?
- What does a caregiver do while I’m in the hospital?
- What about when I go back home?
- What kind of care might I need after I return home?
Questions to ask if an allogeneic transplant is recommended:
- Which family members will you test as possible donors?
- If a family member is chosen as a donor, what would they have to do?
- What happens if I don’t have a match in my family?
- Is a reduced-intensity transplant an option?
- Why or why not?
- Is a haploidentical (half-matched) transplant an option for me?
Questions to ask if an autologous transplant is recommended:
- How will you decide the best time to collect my cells?
- How will you decide the best timing for transplant?
- If the disease comes back (relapses), will I be eligible for an allogeneic transplant?