Preparing for DLBCL treatment

Once all of your results from the biopsy, cytogenetic testing and the staging scans have been completed, the doctor will review these to decide the best possible treatment for you. At some cancer centres, the doctor will also meet with a team of specialists to discuss the best treatment option. This is called a multidisciplinary team (MDT) meeting.

Your doctor will consider many factors about your DLBCL. Decisions on when or if you need to start and what treatment is best are based on your:

• individual stage of lymphoma, genetic changes and symptoms
• age, past medical history and general health
• current physical and mental wellbeing and patient preferences.

More tests may be ordered before you start treatment to make sure your heart, lungs and kidneys are able to cope with the treatment. These may include an ECG (electrocardiogram), lung function test or 24-hour urine collection.

Your doctor or cancer nurse can explain your treatment plan and the possible side-effects to you, and are there to answer any question you might have. It is important you ask your doctor and/or cancer nurse questions about anything you don’t understand.

Before you start treatment you will also need to have some baseline tests done. These can include blood tests to check how well your liver and kidneys are working, scans on your heart, or lung function tests. These are to make sure that you are well enough to have treatment without it causing you to become too unwell.

Throughout your treatment you will have regular blood tests which will be compared to these baseline tests. You may also have further lung tests and heart scans to make sure that the treatment has not caused any damage to your organs.

It can be difficult to know what questions to ask when you are starting treatment. If you don’t know, what you don’t know, how can you know what to ask?

Having the right information can help you feel more confident and know what to expect. It can also help you plan ahead for what you may need.

We put together a list of questions you may find helpful. Of course, everyone’s situation is unique, so these questions do not cover everything, but they do give a good start.