Advanced prostate cancer

[kpurcell]

Live in Greenville, SC and need a recommendation for a treatment center for a second opinion. Have been on taxitere and one other chemo. Please list best options. Then list best options close by and how they rank versus ones further away

[AlanMeyer]

I'm not knowledgeable about treatment centers in SC, but I looked at the National Cancer Institute's list of "Designated Cancer Centers" that they think are leading research and treatment institutions. See: cancer.gov/research/nci-rol...

NCI likes the Hollings Cancer Center in Charleston. They also recommend several centers in North Carolina and one in Atlanta. All of these are places that do research and many of the doctors are professors as well as clinicians. Hopefully, they are very knowledgeable about the latest research.

Best of luck.

Alan

[kpurcell in reply to AlanMeyer]

I just wonder if there is a trade off in care going to a more local center than going to a well known cancer treatment center

[AlanMeyer in reply to kpurcell]

Obviously, the local guys are easier to get to. However it may be a good idea to get a second opinion at a well known cancer center. You can find out from them how they think you are doing and whether they would recommend changing or adding to any of the treatments you're now getting. If they recommend changes, you can still go to your local doc to get his opinion and to get the treatment.

If the doctor at the well known cancer center tells you that he thinks you're getting the right treatments now and no changes are needed, that's good to know. It's a confirmation that the local doc you have is good.

Best of luck.

Alan

[JamesAtlanta]

I agree with Alan’s comments.

The trade off is convenience versus potentially getting a leading edge treatment plan.

Though I was getting very good care locally, when I went to MD Anderson, they recommended a more aggressive therapy. To balance convenience versus leading edge care, I get my monthly labs and my shots in Atlanta and my scans (and surgery next week) in Houston. And I get the added benefit of bouncing ideas off of my local doctor when I return from MD Anderson for my consults.

My local doctor said when they recommended the course of action they did at MD Anderson, “I guess that’s why people go there...”. He was totally supportive of a second opinion for me. If you have a doctor who acts offended or defensive about you seeking a second opinion, time to get a new doctor.

Hope this helps. And best of luck with your journey!

James

[kpurcell in reply to JamesAtlanta]

Thank you