Choosing a physician to treat your cancer can be one of the most difficult decisions you will ever have to make. This doctor will need to be knowledgeable and experienced, and most importantly you need to be able to be comfortable with them and trust them. Another difficult decision can be when to know when to stick with them, and when to get a second opinion.
When to Get Another Opinion
There are many reasons why you may choose to get another opinion. If you are having difficulty communicating with your doctor, or feel that they have different goals or ideas about your treatments, or even if you are not sure of the diagnosis they have given you, you may be considering another opinion.
For many types of leukemia or lymphoma, there are standard, well-proven treatment regimes that most specialists will follow. However, in some circumstances, there is no clear-cut option that will give the best outcomes. In addition, with our knowledge of these conditions constantly increasing, therapy options are evolving as well. Feeling uncertain about your care, or just wanting the advice of another source, may prompt you to seek a second (or third!) opinion.
Here are a few situations where getting another opinion may be important:
- You have a rare or unusual cancer type
- You feel like your doctor sees you as a cancer patient and not as a person
- The treatment being offered to you has side effects or risks that you find unacceptable
- You have difficulty communicating with your specialist
- You are interested in clinical trials or alternative therapies
- Your insurance plan requires it
- Your hematologist cannot find a diagnosis
- Your treatment options will place unreasonable demands on your life, family, or career and you are looking for choices
- You don’t feel confident in the care you are receiving
- You would just like to hear someone else’s opinion
- Your doctor’s treatment goals are different from your own
- Your cancer is not responding to the treatment you are currently getting
How To Get A Second Opinion
The best way to get another opinion is to tell your specialist that you would like one. This is quite a common, and in fact expected, request. It is very unusual that a doctor would be offended that you may seek further advice. For the most part, they understand the seriousness of your diagnosis and the importance of you feeling confident in their care.
If they were offended or didn’t understand, it is probably a doctor you don’t want anyway! Besides that -- who cares? You would hate to look back down the road and wonder if you made the wrong decision all because you were worried you might hurt someone’s feelings. You are not at the cancer center to make friends; you are there to get the best care for you as possible!
Once you have requested another opinion, your hematologist may have a recommendation for another specialist you could see. You could also ask someone else on your healthcare team for suggestions, or tap into the many resources available for finding a specialist in your area.
Things to Consider
Unfortunately, many types of blood cancers progress rapidly, or may be discovered once they are already quite advanced. As a result, you may not have the luxury of the time for a second opinion before you need to get started on treatment. However, in many cases you may have some flexibility and a delay of a few days will not impact your outcome. It is important to try to get the second opinion process in motion as soon as you decide you would like one so no further complications result.
If you are already under the care of a specialist, check to make sure that a second opinion will be covered by your health insurance. In some cases, they may actually require you to see more than one doctor. Or your health plan may require that you select a doctor from an approved list. Make sure you get this figured out in advance.
You may also want to consider what you are expecting from another opinion. Do you want to hear a guarantee that you will be cured? Do you want to hear that there is an incredibly effective new treatment that has no side effects? Do you want to hear that you don’t have cancer at all? Sure you do! But to be realistic; you are not likely to get this, no matter how many opinions you seek.
In most cancer care institutions, it is unusual that a specialist makes all of the decisions about your care by themselves with no outside opinion. Hematologists will often bring their cases to a tumor board, where a team of specialists will review the details of each patient and plan a treatment course based on their combined knowledge and experience. In some ways, this is like having a second opinion built right in!
The Bottom Line
There are many reasons why you might consider a second opinion. The most important thing is that you and your family feel as though you have done all you can to feel comfortable with the choices you are making. After you have met with another physician, you may even decide that you would like to stick it out with your first doctor, or maybe not -- but you will know that you will have weighed all your options and reached the one you feel best about.
