Making Treatment Decisions
Your life depends on you being an active participant in your treatment team.
By Sharon Anderson
2/23/24
It’s Your Choice
In shared decision making, you and your treatment team discuss your options, the pro’s and con’s, and your preferences. Treatment decisions are very personal. What is important to you may not be important to others. Some factors to consider might be you’re your overall health, cost of treatment, time away from work and your feelings about side effects. It’s your right and responsibility to weigh the risks and benefits of a treatment. Ask what the side effects and possible outcomes are. You have a say in your quality of life and length of life.
Second Opinions
Get a second, even a third opinion with sarcoma specialists at a high volume sarcoma center to help make your decision. Ask for a referral to talk directly with the surgeon or an interventional radiologist to discuss possible options. Sometimes they will offer you more options than your oncologist.
LMSDR Recommended Sarcoma Centers
Some Questions You Need to Ask:
· What are ALL my options?
· Is surgery, targeted radiation, hormone blockers or ablation an option?
· What are the side effects?
· Are any of the side effects permanent or life-threatening?
· Will this treatment lead to a possible cure or long term cancer management?
· What are the odds of this treatment working for me?
· How long will treatment last?
· Is there a clinical trial available for me?
· How long do I have to make a decision or start treatment?
Help Making a Decision
Many patients find it helpful to talk with other patients and caregivers. Other people will not be able to tell you which treatment is best for you, or which side effects you will get. But they can tell you how they felt and what helped them to cope during treatment.
The Cancer Support Community offers a question listing service to help you prepare for your upcoming oncology visit. This service is available at no cost to anyone diagnosed with a new or recurrent cancer who has to make decisions about treatment options. The goals of this program are to help you communicate clearly with your medical team, ask critical questions about your options, and help ensure that your treatment decisions fit your personal hopes and goals. To make an appointment, please call 925-933-0107 or 888-793-9355.
NCCN Guidelines for Doctors
These decision making guidelines are written by top sarcoma specialists for medical practitioners.
NCCN Guidelines for Patients
· Uterine Sarcomas (ULMS starts on page 45 )
Leiomyosarcoma: Continuing Education for Sarcoma Specialists
Excellent source for understanding the effectiveness of different treatment options.
Search for “leiomyosarcoma”
Further Reading
Making Decisions about Cancer Treatment
Making Decisions (audio)