You also may be experiencing a wide range of emotions. Living with a serious illness like cancer can present new challenges. Over half the people who are diagnosed with cancer have a good chance of long term survival. New treatments are being developed everyday. Do not hesitate to ask your doctor and cancer care team for information about your diagnosis, treatment and care.
Some people like to obtain as much information about a new diagnosis as possible.
Before you begin to seek out more information, you need to have accurate information about your diagnosis. Since this information will also be needed if you see other doctors, it may be helpful to write it down. The exact diagnosis usually requires a tissue sample or biopsy that can be examined with a microscope to determine the specific type of cancer. The stage of your cancer When cancer is diagnosed, the doctor will want to learn the stage or extent of the disease. Staging is a careful process involving a variety of diagnostic tests or procedures to determine whether the cancer has spread and, if so, to which parts of the body.