Breast cancer: communicating with your treatment team matters

There’s no right or wrong way to react to a breast cancer diagnosis. Once it’s time to begin treatment, however, effective and open communication between patients and their health care team is crucial. Patients who communicate well with their teams have been shown to deal with pain and treatment side effects better.

Be transparent
While they may be experts in their respective fields, the members on your team can’t guess what your worries or questions are. Without your full disclosure they won’t be able to adapt their approach, adequately reassure you or correctly inform you. Don’t feel like the onus is exclusively on you, however. If a member of your team isn’t receptive to your con¬cerns, bring it up with someone in charge.

Once treatment begins, be sure to share new information about your situation with your team. Let them know if you’re having trouble getting around or even if you have upcoming travel plans or events to attend. They’ll be able to suggest personalized solutions to help you better navigate your treatment period.

Expect transparency
Your health care team is responsible for providing you with all the information you need to make informed choices about your treatment. They’re required to lay out every option available to you as well as their potential benefits and risks. Ask for clarification when needed and don’t hesitate to request medical professionals repeat themselves if there’s something you didn’t catch.

Openly communicating with your health care team is an effective way to feel more in control of your treatment. It also allows you to build a trusting relationship with the professionals helping you, which is likely to reduce the stress and worry associated with your breast cancer treatment.