Tag Archive for: treatment plan

Questions to Ask About Your Advanced Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Treatment Plan

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Questions to Ask About Your Advanced Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Treatment Plan from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

Are there key questions that advanced non-melanoma skin cancer patients should ask about their treatment plan? Dr. Anna Pavlick provides expert advice, emphasizing the importance of discussing treatment milestones and exploring alternative options if needed.

Dr. Anna Pavlick is a medical oncologist and the founding Director of the Cutaneous Oncology Program at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian. Learn more about Dr. Pavlick.

See More from Evolve Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer

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Advanced Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Research Update

 How Does Immunotherapy Treat Advanced Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer?

How Does Immunotherapy Treat Advanced Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer?

 Treating Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer With Targeted Therapies

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Transcript:

Katherine:

What questions should patients be asking about their proposed treatment plan? 

Dr. Pavlick:

I think it’s important to obviously know everything that you can about the medicine that you’re going to be given. What are the side effects? How does it work? Is it pills? Is it IV? Are you injecting something into me? In addition to that, I think patients also need to ask, “Well, how are you going to know that it’s working? When do we do scans? When do I get reevaluated?” Because again, not everybody is going to respond to every therapy. If we did, listen, I would retire and open up a dog reserve. But what is the milestone? 

How many cycles or how long before we determine this is working or this isn’t working? And many times, because patients have visible lesions on their skin, it’s not really hard to know whether something is working or not because you’re going to watch it get better or you’re going to see it get worse.

And many times, when patients ask me that, my answer is we have to see as we go along. But if we see it getting better, we keep going until it’s gone or it just stops shrinking. And then we talk about maybe removing it. On the contrary, if we give patients medicine and after let’s say two treatments, this spot on their skin has increased in size and looks like it’s growing, well, maybe we want to stop and reconsider what we’re doing and change to something different.  

Collaborating With Your Doctor on Your Prostate Cancer Care Plan

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Collaborating With Your Doctor on Your Prostate Cancer Care Plan from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

How can you engage in your prostate cancer care? In this animated video, you will learn about factors that may impact a prostate cancer care plan and tools for partnering with your healthcare team on treatment decisions.

Download Resource Guide

See More From Shared Decision Making: Navigating Prostate Cancer Care

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What You Should Know About Clinical Trials

What You Should Know About Clinical Trials

 Living With Prostate Cancer

Prostate Cancer Care Partners: Getting the Support You Need

Prostate Cancer Care Partners: Getting the Support You Need

Transcript: 

Niki: 

Hi, thanks for joining us! I’m Niki, and I’m a prostate cancer nurse practitioner. And here with me is Anthony, who is living with advanced prostate cancer.   

Anthony: 

Throughout this video, Niki and I are going to discuss factors that may impact a patient’s prostate cancer care plan.  

And as we’ve mentioned in previous videos, it’s important to set goals with your team and understand all of your options before deciding on an approach.  

Niki: 

Right, Anthony. So, what could impact a treatment plan decision? Factors may include: 

  • Your age and overall health, including any existing conditions that you may have.
  • Disease-related symptoms may also affect your options.
  • The stage and grade of your prostate cancer and whether you need to be treated right away.
  • Test results, including genomic testing, which identifies the presence of genetic mutations in the cancer and may inform how your cancer will behave. 
  • Possible side effects, both short term and long term, may also affect your choices. 

Anthony: 

And, of course, your personal preference should guide the decision as well as how the option may impact your lifestyle. Be open with your care team about what’s important to you and be clear with your goals, including life plans and personal commitments.   

Here are some tips to take a more proactive role in your care: 

  • Talk with close family members and friends about your options. 
  • Consider a second opinion to help confirm your approach. 
  • Talk to your healthcare team about your condition and care options. And ask them for resources available to you, including financial help and emotional support, when making decisions.​ 
  • You can also visit advocacy group websites that have information about prostate cancer, treatment options, and support groups, to help you understand what’s available.​ 

Niki: 

Those are great tips! It’s also a good idea to ask your doctor what they feel is the best approach for you and why. Remember, there is no one-size-fits all approach, and what works for one person may not work for you. 

Anthony: 

Thanks for joining us! Be sure to download the guide that accompanies this video to help you review what you learned.  

And visit powerfulpatients.org/pc to access more videos with Niki and me.