Changes to treatment
Your treatment plan is chosen to be the best treatment for you. However, everyone responds in different ways to treatment. Sometimes changes are needed.
It is important to ask why any treatment changes are being made, and what effect they could have.
What you need to know
Reasons for treatment changes
Your specialist and other members of your treating team will see you regularly during treatment. They will check how well the treatment is working and how you are coping with it. Occasionally, they may recommend a change to your treatment.
Side effects are the most common reason for changes. If you get severe side effects, it may be hard for you to continue with your treatment plan. Your specialist may delay your treatment, change the dose of the treatment, or even try a different treatment.
Another reason for changes is if your treatment is not working as well as expected. If this happens your specialist may change your treatment plan.
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What to ask or talk about
Talking about treatment changes
It is important to ask why any treatment changes are being made, and what effect they could have.
Usually it is your specialist who suggests treatment changes. However, you may want to stop or change your treatment because of side effects. You should always tell your specialist if you are having severe side effects or problems coping with treatment.
Having the best treatment for your cancer is very important, but there may be other things that are also important to you. For example, you may want to go to a special event, like a family wedding. If you think your treatment will interfere with this, you should talk to your specialist as early as possible. They may be able to adjust your treatment to allow for this.
