What should you ask your doctor about nasal cavity or paranasal sinus cancer?

It is important to have frank, open discussions with your cancer care team. They want to answer all of your questions, no matter how minor they might seem. For instance, consider these questions:

  • What kind of nasal cavity or paranasal sinus cancer do I have?
  • Where is my cancer located?
  • Has my cancer spread beyond the primary site?
  • What is the stage of my cancer, and what does that mean?
  • Do I need to have other tests 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 are the chances my cancer can be cured with treatment?
  • 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 be done? Where will it be done?
  • How would treatment affect my daily activities?
  • What risks or side effects should I expect? How long are they likely to last?
  • How will this treatment affect my appearance?
  • What options for reconstruction of the defects do I have?
  • What if the treatment doesn’t work or if the cancer recurs?
  • What type of follow-up will I need after treatment?
  • Where can I find more information and support?

In addition to these sample questions, be sure to write down some of your own. For instance, you might want more information about recovery times so you can plan your work or activity schedule. Or you may want to ask about second opinions or about clinical trials for which you may qualify.