Questions to Ask Your Doctor

If you are preparing for chemotherapy or radiation therapy, you probably have a lot of questions for your doctor. Write these questions down and take them with you to your next appointment.

A lot of your questions might be related to oral mucositis (OM). Getting answers to these questions may help you feel more at ease going into your cancer therapy. Consider asking your doctor the following:

• What chemotherapy drugs will I be given?
• Will they put me at risk for OM?
• If so, are there OM preventive strategies associated with these drugs?
• Will my radiation therapy cause OM?
• What are the risk factors of OM? Am I at risk?
• What can I do to reduce the risks?
• Will I see a special dentist as part of my cancer care, or will I see my own dentist?
• How soon after my treatment will I know if I’m going to develop OM?
• What should I do if I think I’m developing it?
• Should I call for an appointment if I develop a sore in my mouth?
• If I have a sore in my mouth already, will it delay my treatment?
• If I develop OM, what medicines or therapies will I receive to treat it?

If you’ve already developed OM, ask your doctor the following:

• Since I developed OM with my last therapy, is there another drug or therapy I could receive this time to limit my risk of OM?
• What else can I do to reduce the chances of recurrence?