Informed Consent: When Surgery is Recommended

When surgery is recommended, most health care facilities require patients to sign a form stating their willingness to permit diagnosis and medical treatment. This certifies that you understand what procedures will be done and that you have consented to have them performed.

Before consenting to any course of treatment, ask your doctor for information on:

• The recommended procedure;
• Its purpose;
• Risks and side effects associated with it;
• Likely consequences with and without treatment;
• Other available alternatives; and
• Advantages and disadvantages of one treatment over another.

You are likely to discover that your anxiety over treatment decreases as your understanding of breast cancer and its treatment increases.