Key Questions to Ask Your Doctor Before Treatment (2026 Update)

Before starting treatment, there are specific questions you should ask your care team — about the treatment method, expected side effects, consent form content, costs, and follow-up care after returning home. The bottom line: it's most important to get these answers in writing (written opinion, consent forms, estimate).

Key Takeaways

• Surgical and procedural consent forms must include the method, expected benefits, possible complications, and alternative treatments.
• Immunotherapy and targeted therapy can cause side effects not only during treatment but also after it ends (for immunotherapy, for at least 1 year), so it's important to ask in advance what symptoms to watch for and for how long.
• When asking about treatment outcomes, you can only be given national statistics, not hospital-specific results — for example, the National Cancer Registration Statistics for 2019–2023 show an overall 5-year relative survival rate of 73.7% for all cancers combined, and 78.6% for stomach cancer.
• Whether you can continue treatment after returning home (i.e., whether the drug is approved and available in your home country) should be confirmed early, during the remote review (pre-arrival review) stage, so that treatment is not interrupted.
• Costs, deposits, and cancellation policies can be confirmed through the estimate before signing the treatment consent form.

What Should You Ask About the Treatment Method?

• It's best to directly ask about the four core elements that must be included in a surgical/procedural consent form: the method, expected benefits, possible complications, and alternative treatments.
• For example, if targeted therapy is recommended, ask 'Has a mutation matching my cancer been confirmed, and what were the test results?' Because the drug used in targeted therapy depends on biomarkers identified in tissue or blood (such as EGFR, ALK, ROS1 for lung cancer, or HER2, CLDN18.2 for stomach cancer), a drug should never be chosen without test results.
• If immunotherapy is recommended, ask 'Were markers such as PD-L1 expression or MSI checked?' These markers are the basis for determining eligibility for treatment, and if they don't match, another treatment may be a better option.
• If you have a history of autoimmune disease, organ transplant, or steroid/immunosuppressant use, you must disclose this in advance and confirm together with your doctor whether treatment is possible.

How Should You Ask About Side Effects Effectively?

• The key is to ask two things together: 'What side effects are common with this treatment, and when should I contact you immediately?'
• Immune checkpoint inhibitors commonly cause rash, diarrhea, and fatigue, and can rarely cause inflammation of the skin, lungs, intestines, liver, thyroid, heart, kidneys, or nervous system. Diarrhea occurring multiple times a day, shortness of breath with severe coughing, fever of 38°C or higher, rapidly spreading rash or blisters, and yellowing of the eyes or skin are signs requiring immediate contact.
• Targeted therapy side effects vary by drug. EGFR inhibitors are associated with dry skin, mouth sores, and diarrhea; angiogenesis inhibitors with high blood pressure, bleeding, and blood clots; and HER2-targeted drugs with cardiac toxicity — so ask specifically about the particular side effects and regular monitoring tests for the drug you are receiving.
• Late effects such as lymphedema, chronic fatigue, numbness in the hands and feet, difficulty concentrating, and changes in reproductive function can appear months to years after treatment ends, so it's good to also ask 'What symptoms should I watch for after treatment ends, and for how long?'

Order of Confirmation Before Signing Consent Forms

• Step 1 — Examination and testing consent: Receive an explanation of which tests are being done and why.
• Step 2 — Surgical/procedural consent: Receive a sentence-by-sentence explanation of the method, benefits, complications, and alternatives. An interpreter should be present, and if you don't understand, you may delay signing.
• Step 3 — Anesthesia/blood transfusion consent: If you do not wish to receive a blood transfusion for religious or other reasons, you must say so before this step so the treatment plan itself can be reconsidered.
• Step 4 — Personal information/medical record disclosure consent: Confirm how far your records are shared — with medical staff, the coordinator, and interpreters.
• Step 5 — Cost burden and payment consent: Confirm the deposit, settlement method, and cancellation policy together with the estimate.
• It's advisable to request and keep a signed copy at every step.

FAQ — Will They Tell Me About Treatment Outcomes If I Ask?

No hospital promises an individual's treatment outcome; what can be explained is only overall national statistics. According to the National Cancer Registration Statistics 2019–2023 (Central Cancer Registry, National Cancer Center), the 5-year relative survival rate for all cancers combined in Korea is 73.7%, and for stomach cancer it is 78.6%. These are not results for a specific hospital or individual, and actual outcomes can vary by person depending on stage and overall health condition.

FAQ — How Can I Confirm Whether I Can Continue the Same Treatment After Returning Home?

This depends on whether the drug is approved and available in your home country. If you ask 'Can I continue this drug in my home country?' before starting treatment, the remote review (pre-arrival review) stage can first confirm whether the drug can be continued, and a treatment plan and side-effect management guide to hand over to your local medical team can be prepared together. Also, starting in May 2027, under Korean law, non-face-to-face (telemedicine) consultations for foreign patients will be officially permitted, allowing follow-up checks and prescriptions to continue remotely.

Sources and Notes

• This article was written based on insurance and documentation, frequently asked questions, immunotherapy/targeted therapy side effects, long-term side effect management, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy notes (National Cancer Registration Statistics 2019–2023, National Cancer Center, National Cancer Information Center, U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI), NCCN Patient Guidelines, Ministry of Health and Welfare, HiKorea).
• This content is provided for general medical information purposes, and diagnosis, treatment methods, and outcomes may vary depending on individual circumstances. Accurate diagnosis and treatment must be determined through consultation with your medical team.