You've just been diagnosed. You've researched your treatment options. Now it's time to choose and, suddenly, you're paralyzed with fear and indecision. We've all been here. We've all been confronted by a multitude of possible treatments. We've all been overwhelmed by information, pros and cons, and others' opinions. Through it all, many of us have come to feel like we've lost control of our health, our destiny, our life.

The basic steps
You can, however, regain control. And the best way to do that is to take a number of careful, well-thought-out steps towards making a final decision about your treatment. Though there are many treatment options, the process of choosing one is a very well worn path - here are the general considerations:

Research, research, and more research
Whether you prefer to get your information from online sources or from books, magazines, and journals, you need to make sure you've gathered enough objective information about your options to feel comfortable picking one. Ask

Find a good doctor
Finding a good oncologist isn't easy but it is critical. Start by asking friends and other cancer patients and look here for feedback on doctors and facilities in your area.

Ask lots of questions, ask for advice
Once you've found a good oncologist, you need to take advantage of his or her knowlege. But don't stop there. You should almost always consider a second opinion if you have any reservations about the advice you're getting.

In addition, talk to other kinds of specialists: surgeons, radiologists, immunologists. Or sit down with your primary-care physician to get a broader view of the choices before you.

Talk to those in the know
Those of us who are dealing with cancer--or who have survived it--will have a perspective on what you're going through that no one else will have. Connect with other cancer patients to broaden your advice network.

In addition to providing emotional support, we will be able to tell you about the treatments we chose and how they worked out; the side effects we experienced and how we dealt with them; and the doctors we saw and how much we did or didn't like them.

What to ask
The best way to get as much as possible out of each of the steps above is to go into them armed with an idea of the information you need, the questions you want answered. Important questions to ask include:

• Treatment options: Which treatments will work on their own vs. which will need to be part of a combination of therapies?
• Treatment requirements: What does each treatment entail in terms of time, frequency, hospitalization?
• Side effects: What are the side effects of each option?
• Quality of life: What sort of impacts will the treatment requirements and side effects have on my quality of life?
• Success rates: What are the success rates of each of these treatment options over five years? Ten years? Twenty years?
• Recurrence: What is the rate of recurrence with this type of treatment for my type of cancer?
• Alternative treatments: Are there alternative or complimentary treatments I could consider?
• Clinical trials: Am I a candidate for a clinical trial? If so, do you know of any clinical trials I might want to consider?

The choice is yours
Each of us may consult with several doctors, talk to many friends, read a lot of books, and surf a ton of websites. Ultimately, however, we are the ones who have to live with the results of our choice.

It may feel like a heavy burden to take our lives in our own hands, but who better to make sure that our best interests are served? Who better to save your life than you, yourself?

See also

• Conventional treatment options
• Choosing a doctor
• Choosing a cancer-care facility
• Financial issues

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