Deciding What Is Most Important to You
This is also a time for you to decide and share what is most important to you for your treatment.
When your doctor knows your priorities, they can help you make informed decisions about your medical treatment and care.
Some people want the most aggressive treatment possible.
Others want to experience fewer symptoms and side effects.
Your health car.
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How do I make a decision about cancer treatment?
Decisions about cancer treatment are personal, and you need to feel comfortable about your choices.
But many people do not know where or how to start.
Here are some simple, important steps you can take as you start the decision-making process.
Your treatment plan will depend on the type of cancer you have and its stage at diagnosis.
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Other Factors to Consider When Making Decisions About Cancer Treatment
You can consider other factors when making decisions about your treatment options, based on what is important to you.
These may include: Getting a second opinion.
Most people choose to seek a second or third opinionfrom another oncologist.
Different oncologists may have different experiences with various treatments, including clinical trials, or th.
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Understanding The Goals of Your Treatment Options
Your doctor may use some treatments to slow, stop, or eliminate the cancer.
They will also use palliative and supportive care to manage symptoms and side effects.
For example, if a cancer treatment causes nausea, there are several different ways to avoid or reduce nausea, such as a prescription medication.
During your conversation with your doctor .
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Understanding The Side Effects, Risks, and Benefits of Each Treatment Option
Before you make a decision about your cancer care, it is important to weigh the positives and negatives (or benefits and risks) of each treatment option.
For example, sometimes cancer treatment can cause long-term side effects, or late effects, that might develop months or even years after treatment.
This can include sexual or reproductive health c.
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Understanding Your Diagnosis
Your treatment plan will depend on the type of cancer you have and its stageat diagnosis.
There are four important questions that you should discuss with your health care team: What type of cancer do I have.
This is also called a diagnosis.
Understanding the type of cancer and where it started will help your health care team know how to treat it.
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What is shared decision making in cancer care?
Shared decision making (SDM) is a method of care that is suitable for the care of patients with cancer.
It involves a collaborative conversation seeking to respond sensibly to the problematic situation of the patient, cocreating a plan of care that makes sense intellectually, practically, and emotionally.
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What makes cancer decisions so difficult?
Cancer decisions often involve concepts that are hard to grasp, such as:
- health risks and probabilities
- technical medical information that is unfamiliar to most patients
- a multiplicity of options that can be overwhelming
- especially in the context of emotions
such as :>- fear
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Why do cancer patients need decision aids?
Also, as we discuss below, the purpose of decision aids is to help patients of all ages to better forecast their futures so that they can make informed decisions.
Cancer patients at the end of life face some of the most complex and difficult decisions of all.
