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Surgery

Question checklist

You may find these questions helpful when thinking about what to ask your doctor about surgery. If your doctor gives you answers that you don't understand, ask for clarification.

Treatment choice and informed consent

  • Why do I need surgery?
  • Do I have a choice of treatments?
  • What are the advantages and disadvantages of surgery for me?
  • How successful is this type of surgery for this type of cancer?
  • Are there any clinical practice guidelines on how to treat thistype of cancer?
  • How much does the surgery cost? Are there any extra costs I should know about, such as costs related to anaesthesia?
  • Can I talk to someone who has had this surgery?
  • Can I get a second opinion?
  • Will I need other treatment before or after surgery?

The surgery

  • What type of surgery will I have, e.g. open surgery or keyhole surgery?
  • What exactly will you do during the operation? Will you remove part of the tumour or all of the cancer?
  • How long will the surgery take?
  • Could your plans to operate on me change? Why?
  • What anaesthetic will I receive? How will it be given? When will I meet the anaesthetist?
  • What are the potential risks and complications?
  • Will I need a blood transfusion?
  • Where will I have the surgery?

Side effects and recovery

  • What are the effects of the surgery (e.g. will it affect my mobility, diet, ability to work, sex life)? What are the long-term effects?
  • Will I have tubes and drains?
  • Will I have any pain? How will it be managed?
  • How long will I be in hospital?
  • Will I need rehabilitation? Will I have it as an inpatient or outpatient?
  • When I go home, will I be provided with written information about my after-care?
  • What problems should I look out for when I go home? Who should I contact if they occur?
  • How often will I need check-ups?
  • What kind of support is available to people who have this type of surgery?
  • Are there any complementary therapies that might help me?

Information about the surgeon

  • Do you work in a multidisciplinary team (MDT)?
  • Who will be in charge of my care?
  • Do you specialise in this type of surgery? How were you trained?
  • How many times have you done this surgery?
  • Which hospitals do you operate in?

Understanding Surgery

Download our Understanding Surgery booklet to learn more

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Question checklist

 

 

Expert content reviewers:

Prof Elisabeth Elder, Specialist Breast Surgeon, Westmead Breast Cancer Institute and University of Sydney, NSW; Chanelle Curnuck, Dietitian – Dietetics and Nutrition, Sir Charles Gairdner Osborne Park Health Care Group, WA; Department of Anaesthetics, Perioperative Medicine and Pain Medicine, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, VIC; Jessica Feeney, Nurse Unit Manager, Breast, Endocrine and Gynaecology, Royal Adelaide Hospital, SA; A/Prof Richard Gallagher, Head and Neck Surgeon, Director of Cancer Services and Head and Neck Cancer Services, St Vincent’s Health Network, NSW; Rohan Miegel, Senior Physiotherapist – Cancer Care, Flinders Medical Centre, SA; A/Prof Nicholas O’Rourke, University of Queensland and Head of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Royal Brisbane Hospital, QLD; Lucy Pollerd, Social Worker, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, VIC; Suzanne Ryan, Clinical Nurse Consultant, Department of General Surgery, Sunshine Coast University Hospital, QLD; Rebecca Yeoh, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council Queensland.

Page last updated:

The information on this webpage was adapted from Understanding Surgery - A guide for people with cancer, their families and friends (2023 edition). This webpage was last updated in May 2023.  

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