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Getting a second opinion can save your life. But many people worry that getting a second
opinion is checking up on their doctor. That's not the case at all. The fact is, medical
decisions often boil down to judgment, and different doctors may arrive at different
conclusions. In some cases, they could all be right, medically speaking, but it may not the
most right for your particular situation. All doctors - even specialists - have personal
preferences based on their own experiences, and they tend to recommend what they know best.
Some other reasons to seek a second opinion? If you have a rare cancer, if you live in a
rural area, if you have an HMO. You can also request a second opinion on the pathology report
from which the diagnosis is made. Lastly, if your pathology report doesn't give a definite
diagnosis, a second opinion is definetly in order. Let's find out what University of Michigan
hematologit/oncologist Dr. Harry Erba has to say about the importance of second opinions in
formulating the treatment plan. Just as experience and knowledge matters in everything, it
especially matters when our lives are at stake. To put it bluntly if your doctor has
little or no experience in treating your particular type of cancer, it's a risk to put all
of your confidence in him. And the only way to find out how many cases he's treated is to
speak up and ask. As Rpnald Reaga said, "Trust but verify." When a person is diagnosed with
a malignancy, this is a life altering diagnosis. And care must be made in making that
diagnosis to ensure it is the right diagnosis and treatment plan. And so it makes sense to
get a second opinion for such a major decision. Let me give a few practical pointers along the
way because at first glance that sounds easy---get a second opinion. But if the second
opinion is the same as the first, ok, then you have two people thinking the same way, I
should probably go ahead. But how about if the second opinion differs. Then the patient is
stuck in the middle. Because the physicians are not going to say the other guy's wrong. The
physicians are going to defend their recommendation. It puts the patient in a difficult spot
where they get a third opinion or a fourth opinion. And I've seen people get multiple
opinions and honestly waste a lot of time in doing so. The thing about clinical medicine is
that there are often many ways to take care of a problem. We try to find the best way, but
there can be many ways of approaching the problem. And so I think it is important for the
patient to feel comfortable with the physician they find. It makes sense that you go to a
physician that has expertise specifically in that area. We are sub sub specializing in
academic medicine in a variety of malignancies. It makes sense if you were diagnosed by a
community oncologist and pathologist to get a second opinion in an academic
institution where the physicians tend to be specialized, meaning they have more of the same
thing, more experience in that patient's particular disease. And if you get a second opinion,
you may trust that opinion more than the first opinion. It can be overwhelming for patients
when they get multiple opinions and how do you decide at the end of the day who's is correct.
Frankly, there is no good way and what a person has to do is look at the reputation of the
institution, look at the reputation of the physician, and look at ---as I said, this is a
life altering diagnosis---look at your relationship with that oncologist. And decide, is this
somebody who can not only get me through this initial diagnosis but is going to be able to help
me along this long path that I'm about to set upon. Once you have a diagnosis, it is important to
learn exactly what the diagnosis means. Gather information on treatment options and make sure
you understand the medical recommendations. Seek out the best experts you can find and