Cancer
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Questions to Ask Your Doctor After a Cancer Diagnosis
Medical Author: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
Medical Editor: William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR
 1. What type of cancer do I have? How was the diagnosis established? Are
there any other diagnostic tests that could provide useful information?
2. What is the extent of spread (stage) of the cancer? To what extent does
the stage of the cancer influence treatment?
3. Should I get a second opinion? Can you recommend someone who could provide
a second opinion?
4. What are the treatment options? How do you decide among the different
options? Are there investigational treatments or clinical trials available for
this type of cancer?
5. How much is known about the type of cancer that I have? How common is this
cancer and the type of treatment I am to receive? Would I be better off being
treated in a more specialized center?
6. What is your experience in treating this type of cancer? What have been
the results of this treatment, in your experience?
7. How much time should I take to make a decision about treatment?
8. What is the goal of treatment (for example, to completely eradicate the
tumor, to reduce the size of the tumor, to alleviate symptoms)?
9. How often must I receive treatment? How will I feel after treatment? If
there will be side effects of treatment, are there any medications that can help
prevent or lessen the severity of these? How soon can I return to normal
activities after treatment?
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What is cancer?
Cancer is a disease of cells. It is an abnormal growth of cells which tend to proliferate in an uncontrolled way and, in some cases, to metastasize (spread).
Cancer is also called malignancy. A cancerous growth or tumor is sometimes referred to as a malignant growth or tumor. A non-malignant growth or tumor is referred to as benign. Benign tumors are not cancer.
Cancer is not one disease. It is a group of more than 100 different and distinctive diseases. Cancer is NOT contagious.
Cancer can involve any tissue of the body and have many different forms in each body area. Most cancers are named for the type of cell or organ in which they start. If a cancer spreads (metastasizes), the new tumor bears the same name as the original
(primary) tumor.
Cancer is the Latin word for crab. The ancients used the word to mean a malignancy, doubtless because of the crab-like tenacity a malignant tumor sometimes seems to show in grasping the tissues it invades. Cancer may also be called malignancy, a malignant tumor, or a neoplasm (literally, a new growth).
What are the most common types of cancer?
The frequency of a
particular cancer may depend on gender.
The list of common cancers includes cancers that are diagnosed with the
greatest frequency in the United States. Cancer incidence statistics from
the American Cancer Society and other resources were used to create the
list. To qualify as a common cancer, the estimated annual incidence for 2006
had to be 30,000 cases or more.
The most common type of cancer on the list is non-melanoma skin cancer,
with more than 1,000,000 new cases expected in the United States in 2006.
Non-melanoma skin cancers represent about half of all cancers diagnosed in
the US.
The cancer on the list with the lowest incidence is thyroid cancer. The
estimated number of new cases of thyroid cancer for 2006 is 30,180.
Because colon and rectal cancers are often referred to as
"colorectal cancers," these two cancer types were combined for the list. For
2006, the estimated number of new cases of colon cancer is 106,680, and the
estimated number of new cases of rectal cancer is 41,930. These numbers are
slightly larger than those estimated for 2005.
Kidney cancer can be divided into two major groups, renal parenchyma
cancers and renal pelvis cancers. Approximately 82 percent of kidney cancers
develop in the renal parenchyma,2 and nearly all of these cancers are renal
cell cancers. The estimated number of new cases of renal cell cancer for
2006 is 31,890.
Leukemia as a cancer type includes acute lymphoblastic (or lymphoid)
leukemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, chronic
myelogenous (or myeloid) leukemia, and other forms of leukemia. It is
estimated that more than 35,000 new cases of leukemia will be diagnosed in
the United States in 2006, with acute myeloid leukemia being the most common
type (approximately 12,000 new cases). The total number of new leukemia
cases estimated for 2006 is slightly larger than the number estimated for
2005.
How many people die of cancer each year?
The following table gives the estimated numbers of new cases and deaths
for each common cancer type:
| Cancer Type |
Estimated New Cases |
Estimated Deaths |
| Bladder Cancer |
61,420 |
13,060 |
| Breast Cancer (Male
included) |
212,920 - 1,720 |
40,970 - 460 |
| Colon and Rectal
(combined) |
148,610 |
55,170 |
| Endometrial
Cancer (Uterine) |
41,200 |
7,350 |
| Kidney Cancer (renal cell) |
31,890 |
10,530 |
| Leukemia (all) |
35,070 |
22,280 |
| Lung Cancer (including bronchus) |
174,470 |
162,460 |
| Melanoma |
62,170 |
7,910 |
| Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma |
58,870 |
18,840 |
| Pancreatic Cancer |
33,370 |
32,300 |
| Prostate Cancer |
234,460 |
27,350 |
| Skin Cancer (non-melanoma) |
>1,000,000 |
Not Available |
| Thyroid Cancer |
30,180 |
1,500 |
SOURCE: National Cancer Institute
Last Editorial Review: 8/17/2006
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