Medical Oncologist
Before your operation
Questions to ask your surgeon before consenting
Four questions carry most of the weight: what are all my options including the ones you do not perform, what happens if the margins are not clear, what will I look like afterwards, and what is my risk of arm problems. This page is the list to take with you, and what the answers should sound like.
MM
Medically reviewed by Dr. Muralidhar MuddusettyConsultant Surgical Oncologist · MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery, AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
17+specialists on panel
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The short answer
What should I ask before signing the consent form?
Four questions carry most of the weight: what are all my options including the ones you do not perform, what happens if the margins are not clear, what will I look like afterwards, and what is my risk of arm problems. Everything else is detail around those.
Why writing them down matters
Almost nobody remembers their questions in the room. The consultation is short, you are frightened, and the answers come faster than you can absorb them. A written list, and someone with you taking notes, is worth more than any amount of reading beforehand.
You are allowed to take time
Consent signed in the same appointment as the diagnosis is consent given in shock. Within the usual window a fortnight to decide costs you nothing medically. Ask for the time if you want it.
The four that matter
The questions worth asking first
If you ask nothing else, ask these. Each one has a concrete answer.
What are all my options, including ones you do not do?
This is the single most useful question. It reveals whether you are being offered a genuine choice or the operation this unit happens to perform, and it opens a referral without confrontation.
What happens if the margins come back involved?
The answer tells you whether they have thought past the operation itself. Ask how often it happens in their practice and what the next step would be.
Ask the same about the lymph nodes.What will it look like afterwards?
Ask to see photographs of real results, not diagrams. Ask where the scar will fall and whether reshaping at the same operation is possible. This is the question women most regret not asking.
What is my risk of arm swelling and stiffness?
It depends on which node operation you have and whether the armpit is also irradiated. Ask for a physiotherapy referral before surgery rather than after a problem starts.
Follow up with
- Which node operation am I having
- Will my armpit be irradiated
- When can I see a physiotherapist
Take this list with you
The rest of the list
- Who will actually perform my operation?
- Was my case discussed at a tumour board, and what did it conclude?
- Should I have chemotherapy before surgery instead?
- Has a marker clip been placed, and do I need one?
- Will I need radiotherapy afterwards either way?
- Should I be tested for an inherited gene fault, and when?
- How long in hospital, and will I go home with a drain?
- Who do I telephone at nine in the evening if something worries me?
Not sure whether this applies to you?
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Answers that reassure, and answers worth probing
Reassuring
Worth asking again
A specific number when asked how often they do this
A vague answer about the hospital being experienced
Both conservation and mastectomy discussed on their merits
Only one option presented, with no alternatives named
A named tumour board and a date it was discussed
Uncertainty about who else has seen your case
Comfortable with you seeking a second opinion
Pressure to sign today, or discouraging questions
A named nurse you can telephone after discharge
No route back in once you leave the building
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Being straight with you
How to ask, and what to do with the answers
None of these questions are rude, and specialists are asked them regularly. Frame them around the team rather than the individual, and ask for the answers in writing where you can, because you will not remember them.
Take someone with you
Not for support alone, but to write down what is said. Two people remember roughly twice as much of a consultation, and the person who is not being told about their own cancer hears it far more clearly.
It is reasonable to ask for time
Especially for reconstruction and for anything involving your other breast. Decisions made in the first frightening week are the ones most often regretted. Ask the team to hold a provisional date while you decide.
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you which operation is right for you. What it can do is make sure you leave the consultation knowing what was decided, why, what the alternatives were and who to contact. If you do not have those four things, the appointment is not finished.
Commonly believed
What stops people asking
Asking questions will annoy the surgeon.
Specialists are asked these every week and answer them comfortably. A surgeon who reacts badly to a polite question about options or experience has told you something useful. Good ones welcome a patient who has thought about it.
The doctor knows best, so there is nothing to decide.
Several of these decisions genuinely depend on what you want, particularly about keeping the breast, reconstruction and your other breast. Your surgeon can say what is safe. Only you can say what you can live with.
Asking for time will send me to the back of the queue.
Ask the team to hold a provisional date while you decide, and most will. Within the usual window a fortnight costs you nothing medically, and it is far cheaper than an operation you did not want.
Wanting to know how it will look is vain.
How your body looks and feels afterwards shapes how you live for decades. Surgeons plan for it routinely. Women who raise it before surgery get better-considered operations than those who raise it after.
After the appointment
What to do with the answers
Write down four things before you leave the building, while it is fresh: which operation is planned, why that one, what happens if the margins are involved, and who to telephone. If you cannot fill in all four, the appointment is not finished.
Compare what you were told with what you were given
The clinic letter usually arrives days later. Read it against your own notes. Where the two differ, ring the breast care nurse and ask, because it is usually a dictation slip rather than a change of plan, and it is far easier to correct now than after surgery.
Tell the family who is not in the room
Most disagreements in families come from different people having heard different versions. Sending one written summary to everyone at once prevents weeks of argument about what the surgeon supposedly said.
If something still does not sit right
Say so rather than going quiet. A second opinion is normal, no reasonable surgeon objects, and it usually takes a week or two. Tell your first team you are getting one so your place in the schedule is held while you do.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about the consultation
Can I record the consultation?
Ask first, and most clinicians agree. It is far more reliable than memory and lets family who could not attend hear exactly what was said. If recording is refused, ask instead for the key points in writing or in the clinic letter.
How long should the consultation be?
Long enough to cover your options and your questions, which usually means more than a few minutes. If it is clearly rushed, ask for a second appointment rather than signing. Requesting more time is entirely reasonable and commonly done.
Should I ask about survival figures?
You can, and be ready for an honest answer that includes uncertainty. General figures describe groups treated years ago and may not reflect your treatment. Ask what your own picture looks like rather than for a number from the internet.
What if I do not understand the answer?
Say so and ask again. A good clinician will rephrase without irritation. Asking them to draw it, or to write the key words down so you can look them up later, works better than nodding and going home confused.
Can I bring a list, or does that look difficult?
Bring one. Clinicians generally prefer it, because it makes the appointment more efficient and means you leave with what you needed. Put your most important two questions at the top in case time runs short.
Should I ask about a clinical trial?
Yes, and ask early, before your plan is finalised, because eligibility often depends on not having started treatment. Ask what is open at your centre and whether a referral elsewhere is worth considering.
Can I change my mind after signing?
Yes. Consent can be withdrawn at any point before the operation, and you should say so as early as you can rather than on the morning. Tell the team what changed, because it is often something that can be resolved.
Who should I take with me?
Whoever will be supporting you through recovery and can write things down. One person is usually better than three. Tell the clinic in advance if you would like an interpreter, because that has to be arranged.
Meet the Specialists
17+ senior cancer specialists. One panel for your case.
Trained at AIIMS, Tata Memorial, and leading international centres. Combined 150+ years of experience. Every complex case is reviewed by 3+ of them — together.
Medical Oncologist
Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
MBBS(Gold Medal), DNB(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Gold Medal)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla
MBBS, MD(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Adyar,Chennai), ECMO, MRCP SCE(UK)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Owais Mohammed
MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DrNB (Medical Oncology), ECMO, MRCP SCE (Medical Oncology) (UK)
Medical Oncologist
Medical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Muralidhar Muddusetty
MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery) (AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh)
Surgical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Vinay Mamidala
MBBS, MS(General Surgery), M.Ch(Surgical Oncology), FMAS, FARIS(Ongoing)
Surgical Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Hematologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Vajja Sandeep Kumar
MBBS, MS (General Surgery), DrNB (Surgical Oncology), FALS Oncology
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Talk to our team
Speak to a breast cancer specialist
Call the helpline or leave your details, and someone will help you arrange a consultation at the CION centre nearest you. One helpline serves every CION centre.
Call 1800 202 8726
Helpline open 24/7
Sources
- Cancer Research UK — Questions to ask about surgery
- National Cancer Institute — Questions to ask your doctor about cancer
- Breast Cancer Now — Your breast care team
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.