Obtaining 2nd opinion for biopsy

yrrats
yrrats Member Posts: 1
in Prostate Cancer #1
What is the best lab to get a second opinion for prostate biopsy?

What is the protocol? Do I ask my urologist to send out the core sample slides to a lab of my choice or do I get the core sample slides from my urologist and send them out myself?

Comments

  • VascodaGama
    VascodaGama Member Posts: 3,641 Member
    #2
    You can do both ways
    yrrats,
    You can do both ways; ask your doctor or do it by yourself using a courier.
    Pathologists at Johns Hopkins would give you reliable results.

    Take care
    VG
  • Swingshiftworker
    Swingshiftworker Member Posts: 1,017 Member
    #3
    Who's the best?
    Don't know who's the BEST, but I had my 2nd Opinion done by Dr. Jonathan Epstein at Johns Hopkins who is considered one of the best in the field of PCa analysis.

    There are other people in his lab but you can request that only he do your analysis. It cost me $225 (was told $250 but they sent me a $25 refund).

    Here's the contact info for his lab:

    The Johns Hopkins Medical Laboratories
    Anatomic Pathology Consultation Service
    1620 McElderry Street
    Reed Hall, Room 315
    Baltimore, MD 21205

    410-955-2405
    800-997-5475 (Press 1)
    http://pathology.jhu.edu/department/services/labservices.cfm


    Here's a list of other recommended pathologists/labs that I found on the Net. I inquired w/Bostick but they charged more than Johns Hopkins and there wasn't any one "expert" who was associated w/the lab. So, I chose Johns Hopkins instead. Don't know anything about the others. So, you'll need to do your own due diligence before selecting any of them.

    Bostwick Laboratories (800) 214-6628
    Dianon Laboratories (800) 328-2666 (select 5 for client services)
    Dr. Jonathan Oppenheimer, Medical Director & Chief Pathologist, The Prostate Lab, Nashville, TN (800) 881-0470
    Dr. Scott Lucia, Director, Prostate Diagnostic Laboratory, School of Medicine, U of Colorado, Denver, CO (303)724-3470

    Good luck!!!
  • Klemon
    Klemon Member Posts: 26
    #4
    second opinion
    I think its always a good idea to get a second opinion, as prostate cell slides can be tricky reads. we had my husband's read by two different pathologists from two different labs in our home state- and they agreed.... When we went to the Mayo Clinic for a surgery consultation, they had us send the slides ahead so their pathologists could read them. We did and both of their pathologists disagreed on the results. We had a follow up satuartation biopsy at Mayo which gave us a clear diagnosis.

    Back home our urologist had three more pathologists read the original slides, only 2 agreed with eachother.

    Its not that they don't kow how to read them, its just that prostate cancer cells only vary slightly at several stages from normal prostate cells, so you really need someone who reads a lot of them to take a look for you.

    I hope this helps, good luck on your journey

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