What should you ask your doctor about small cell lung cancer?

It is important for you to have honest, open discussions with your cancer care team. They want to answer all of your questions, no matter how minor you might think they are. Some questions to consider:

• What kind of lung cancer do I have?
• Has my cancer spread beyond the primary site?
• What is the stage of my cancer and what does that mean in my case?
• Are there other tests that need to be done before we can decide on treatment?
• Are there other doctors I need to see?
• How much experience do you have treating this type of cancer?
• What treatment choices do I have?
• What do you recommend and why?
• What is the goal of the treatment?
• What is my expected survival rate, based on my cancer as you see it?
• What risks or side effects are there to the treatments you suggest? How long are they likely to last?
• How quickly do we need to decide on treatment?
• What should I do to be ready for treatment?
• How long will treatment last? What will it involve? Where will it be done?
• What would we do if the treatment doesn't work or if the cancer recurs?
• What type of follow-up would I need after treatment?

In addition to these sample questions, be sure to write down some of your own. For instance, you might want to ask about second opinions or about clinical trials for which you may qualify.