What you don't know can kill you.

John T, the article is interesting and I doubt anyone who reads it would be surprised by the summary. However, the reality is that not everyone can afford thousands of dollars out of their own pockets to get second opinions from the leading cancer centers plus the cost of travel to and from these centers. I had contacted an oncologist specializing in recurrent PCa at Memorial Sloan Kettering in NYC - an easy railroad trip from our home. The doctor's secretary told me two things that turned me off immediately: first, they don't accept private insurance and the cost to me would be $1500 and $2000. Second, the doctor would then decide if my husband's case was interesting enough to "take on the case." If he decided to take on my husband's case, there would be a two month wait to see him. When you're fighting cancer, who has two months to wait for answers?

Many of these centers are research centers - as is Sloan Kettering. They receive hundreds of millions in grants to do research. If the individual case will not boost their success rate, they're not interested. That's not health care, that's business.

My husband was treated by a local urologist with an excellent reputation - in fact, two doctors we know use him for themselves. He is accessible, kind, caring, and willing to spend time answering questions. He may not have the pedigree that someone at Sloan Kettering has but at least he treats me and my husband like people rather than lab animals. And he got the job done with minimal sound effects.

Tony,
The fact that all treatment options and now that the experience of the center have little difference in cure rates of low grade localized PC is interesting. It just could be that these cancers are not very dangerous to begin with.
As you stated there is a big difference in high grade PC and advanced PC.
JT

Sephie,

You post really angered me reading it, not because you wrote it, but because of the cold hearted, money grabbing, ego fulfilling attitude they gave you at that clinic. That is deplorable. No one should be treated in that manner at the expense of someone else.

I agree with you too, not all of us have the resources and logistics to get all the high end opinions that are out there, and due to money and insurance (or lack of it) we have work with what we have in our grasp. Fair? Not really, but life for most of us.

I am glad your John still is getting good advice and treatment.

David in SC

Dale,
I agree whole heartedly agree that one with recurrent advanced prostate cancer should seek out a major center involved in many clinical trials and armed with a strong reputation. As the article states, many local centers can do well with localized disease. For me that wasn't enough and I went to a large center for local treatment. Still did not get the results I hoped for but I gave myself a best shot at it.

Tony