If you or a loved on was given the scary diagnosis of cancer, it is important to get a second opinion.
“Evidence is mounting that second opinions—particularly on radiology images and pathology slides from biopsies—can lead to significant changes in a patient’s diagnosis or in recommendations for treating a disease,” says a story this week in the Wall Street Journal by Laura Landro.
“Some malignancies, including lymphomas and rare cancers of the thyroid and salivary glands, are notoriously tricky to diagnose correctly; test results can be inconclusive or return false results. After a decade of annual mammograms, more than half of women will receive at least one false positive recall on a breast-cancer screening, a recent study found. And nearly half of malpractice claims at Harvard University’s medical institutions that resulted in serious patient harm or death in the past five years were diagnostic errors, according to its liability company Crico/RMF.”
“Thomas Feeley, vice president of medical operations at MD Anderson, says as many as 25% of patients who arrive at the center with diagnoses for certain cancers such as lymphoma may receive a different diagnosis. Overall, 3% of MD Anderson patients each year end up with a significant change that affects what treatment they receive. “When you get cancer, the first thing you may want to do is jump to get treatment with the first person you talk to,” Dr. Feeley says. “But taking the time to get a second opinion about the diagnosis you have and a careful evaluation of what treatments there are can be lifesaving.”
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So true, I mean most people get second and third options before making a mundane purchase… never mind a life-altering decision!