Cancer – why you need a second opinion

The word ‘cancer’ itself brings a lot of stress, dread and anxiety to anyone’s mind. The incidence of cancer has increased many fold and the stories of cancer have become a part and parcel of ou

By: Dr Arbinder Singal | | Updated: June 10, 2014 6:25 pm

The word ‘cancer’ itself brings a lot of stress, dread and anxiety to anyone’s mind. The incidence of cancer has increased many fold and the stories of cancer have become a part and parcel of our medical and personal lives. There are stories of inspiration and stories of loss and all these are out there now. Also Read - This therapy boosts confidence in patients battling cancer post-chemotherapy

Whenever there is a major shock like cancer, the person and the family goes through phases of grief – first is the phase of shock & denial, followed by anger, bargaining, depression and finally acceptance and re-organization of the life around the event. Unfortunately, a disease like cancer may not give enough time to go through these phases. Every day is critical; starting the therapy as early as possible is one of the cornerstones of fight which one wants to put up against cancer. Also Read - Small delays in cancer treatment can up death risk by 10%, says study

Sometimes the cancer can totally stump you and leave the whole life as we know it in total disarray. Anyone you talk to will be able to share a story of an immediate friend or a family member who has had cancer. Some of these stories of tough grit & fight like Lance Armstrong (now disgraced though) or Yuvraj Singh come back from cancer and still resumed their absolute normal life and they got back at the top of the game again. Even actors like Lisa Ray or Kylie Minogue have fought and won against the cancers. While these stories are in the media to see, people on the street or our friends could put up a stern fight against cancer in the worst circumstances. Also Read - Chemotherapy and sex: Is sexual activity safe during cancer treatment?

As a loved one of a cancer patient, I have spent days in the hospital while tending to and helping out the family or at other times have done my duties as a doctor administering chemotherapy or doing surgery on children with various types of cancer. Closer at hand, I have seen my close friend and Co-founder of MediAngels- Dr Debraj Shome’s father suffer and succumb to advanced lung cancer. But this was not without a real fight. While most of the cancer specialists in the town gave Mr Shome a grim 6-month timesheet, a second opinion from a lung cancer specialist in the US helped him get started on a newer therapy. This resulted in cancer regression and prolonged his survival for three years which let him witness his son get married. He also could play with his grandchild in his last few months.

A second opinion for a malady like cancer is indeed invaluable. In most of the top medical institutes, there are a lot of clinical trials constantly on for newer drugs/ combinations etc. going on. These are typically conducted by senior doctors who are authorities in their fields. The drug research goes through multiple phases such as experimental studies, drug trials and finally FDA approvals. At first, the clinical trial results and benefits get published as scientific papers in medical journals and there is a usual waiting period of one or two years for publications. From there it ultimately takes two to three years to be published into books and finally become a part of protocols at hospitals. By the time the newer drug or a protocol is finally put to use in routine practice for a cancer patient – there is typical gap of three to five years, sometimes even more. This gap increases as we go down to tier two towns or peripheral areas.

Coupled with a shortage of cancer specialists across India, we face real challenges in imparting good care to cancer patients. A Phillips Technopak report from 2009 illustrated that in India a patient has to typically travel 500 km to see a cancer specialist. Most of the cancer specialists are concentrated in larger cities. In such situations, virtual consultations offered by companies like ours (www.mediangels.com) could be immensely valuable.

Finally, there is a right doctor for every type of cancer who would be aware of the cutting-edge treatment for that particular cancer. Oncologists these days specialize in bone cancer, blood cancer, skin cancer, eye cancer, breast cancer, gynecological cancers, endocrine cancers, lung cancers, intestine cancers, brain cancers etc. With the advances in medicine, sub and super-specialization have become the key to good results.

MediAngels.com is an initiative to connect the doctors at the top of knowledge pyramid to the consumers or general practitioners directly so that they can get full, evidence based and cutting edge medical advice. Towards this end, MediAngels has more than 50 cancer specialists providing second opinions and treatment guidelines in more than 16 specialties relating to various types of cancers.

Read more about causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

Also read: War on Cancer

For more articles on cancer, visit our cancer section. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest updates! For daily free health tips, sign up for our newsletter. And to join discussions on health topics of your choice, visit our forum.

Published : February 5, 2013 8:15 am | Updated:June 10, 2014 6:25 pm

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