Guides · Treatment decisions
Ten questions to ask before agreeing to chemotherapy
Reviewed byMedically reviewed by Prof. Dr. Leyla Arslan, medical oncology
Reviewed 21 May 2026 · 6 min read
Reviewed 21 May 2026 · 6 min read
Chemotherapy is a plan, not a single drug — and plans differ between hospitals more than most patients expect. These ten questions turn a prescription into a conversation.
The ten questions
Take them to the appointment on paper. A good oncologist answers all ten without irritation — that reaction is itself a data point:
01 · What is the goal — cure, control, or symptom relief? The honest answer shapes every other decision.
02 · Which protocol, by name — protocols have names and published evidence. Ask for both.
03 · Why this protocol for my receptors — the pathology report and the protocol must agree.
04 · How many cycles, how far apart — and what decides whether the count changes mid-course.
05 · What response will be measured, and when — which scan, after which cycle.
06 · The realistic side effects — the three most likely for this protocol, not the full leaflet.
07 · What is done to prevent them — pre-medication, growth factors, scalp cooling: prevention is part of the protocol.
08 · Can it be given closer to home — some cycles can transfer to a local clinic with the same protocol on paper.
09 · What happens if a cycle is delayed — illness and travel happen; the plan should already contain the answer.
10 · What would you do in my place — the question that separates a prescriber from a physician.
Protocol ≠ brand
The protocol — drugs, doses, schedule — is what the evidence supports. The brand of each drug can often change without changing the protocol. Ask about the protocol first; the brand question is a cost question.
“The patients who do best are not the ones who ask nothing and trust everything — they are the ones whose folder has ten questions written down and ten answers next to them.”
Send your reports.
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Fair questions
Yes — that is the most common request we receive. Send the pathology report and the proposed protocol; the board confirms it, adjusts it, or explains why a different protocol fits your case better.
The protocols are international and the drugs are the same molecules. Drug costs vary by protocol and are itemized separately in your personal quote.
Every cancer case is individual. Assessments are based on the reports you provide and do not replace in-person examination.