WHY YOU SHOULD CONSIDER A SECOND OPINION: A tissue or cell examination is the only way for a positive diagnosis of cancer to be made. As the very first step in cancer diagnosis and treatment, serious mistakes at this point must be avoided. Since the final diagnosis determines the specific treatment, a second opinion should be considered by patients facing major cancer treatment (surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation). Your second opinion should come from a nationally recognized pathology expert who specializes in your type of cancer (i.e. prostate, breast, lung, etc). Pathology second opinions are easy to obtain. Only microscopic (glass) slides -- not the actual patient -- must be seen by the consulting pathologist. Therefore, you have access to experts that may be thousands of miles away. (For more information, click Second Opinion Now.)

PLAY AN ACTIVE ROLE FOR THE BEST CANCER CARE Be aware that errors do occur in the tissue diagnosis (biopsy) of cancer (see Medical Errors). Recognize the role that the pathologist plays in the diagnosis of cancer (see Pathology: Who & How). Consider having an expert pathologist review the microscopic (glass) slides from your (or your family member's) tissue sample. Mistakes in diagnosis can be made in all types of malignancy and even "benign tumors." Use a referral source (such as FindCancerExperts) that maintains strict standards to select highly qualified pathology experts in the evaluation of each cancer type (see Our Pathology Experts)

WHAT DO MEDICAL AUTHORITIES SAY ABOUT SECOND OPINIONS? The National Comprehensive Cancer Network1 and the American Cancer Society2 both recommend that newly-diagnosed breast cancer patients obtain a diagnostic (pathology) second opinion, especially those diagnosed with early cancer in-situ. A consensus conference3 sponsored by the American Society of Clinical Pathologists concluded: "Second opinion is an important component of total quality assurance programs in diagnostic surgical pathology and cytopathology and is a key aspect in the assurance of patient safety..." In a thorough study4 of pathology errors reported by Johns Hopkins University, the pathologist-authors concluded that "mandatory second opinion pathology uncovers a significant number of discrepant diagnoses and...should be undertaken prior to the institution of a major therapeutic endeavor." Dr. Jerome Groopman-- Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and a widely-respected author and physician-- recently told the Washington Post5 that "in almost every case where there is serious life-threatening illness, where there isn't an established therapy or where there's a prospect of an experimental treatment, all of these absolutely need a second opinion for many reasons."

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References:

1. Breast Cancer Treatment Guidelines for Patients. Version II. American Cancer Society, June 1999, p. 13.
2. Breast Cancer Treatment Guidelines for Patients. Version II. American Cancer Society, June 1999, p. 13.
3. Tomaszewski JE, Bear HD, Connally JA, Epstein JI, et al. Consensus Conference on Second Opinions in Diagnostic Anatomic Pathology. Am J Clin Pathol. 2000; 114:329-335.
4. Kronz JD, Westra WH, Epstein JI Mandatory Second Opinion Surgical Pathology at a Large Referral Hospital. Cancer 1999;86:2426-35.
5. The Washington Post (Health, March 7, 2000, p 9).