The better you understand your child’s situation and the solutions proposed by the pediatric oncologist, the more you will be able to take the necessary steps to help your child.
The initiation of therapy is possible only after the parent has given his informed consent. For this, the therapist must inform you about the child’s diagnosis, the proposed treatment plan, the expected benefits, as well as the possible unwanted effects of the therapy.
Don’t be shy to write down the answers you get from the pediatric oncologist, so you can come back with questions if you still have questions.
To better understand the disease your child is facing, as well as what you can do to help your child during and after treatment, it is good to have a discussion with the pediatric oncologist. For this purpose, you can use the list of questions below as a model.
Questions you can ask the doctor or medical team treating your child:
- About diagnosis:
- What kind of cancer does my child have?
- What is the stage or extent of the disease?
- What investigations are required? Are they painful? How often should they be repeated?
- About treatment options:
- What is the recommended treatment for my child and why?
- What are the chances that the treatment will be effective?
- Can a clinical trial (study investigating new types of treatment) be beneficial for my child and why?
- About treatment:
- How long will the treatment last?
- What is the therapeutic scheme?
- How long will the hospitalization be?
- Can one of the parents accompany the child during hospitalization?
- Is it necessary to interrupt school during treatment?
- What treatment can be performed at home?
- About the side effects of the treatment:
- What can be the short-term (immediate) and long-term (late) side effects of the treatment?
- What can be done when side effects of the treatment appear?