recommened radiologists

My onc surgeon refered me to a radiologist close to home.  Did your cancer doctor give you any names?  You should have many in SoCal, or is that the problem, too many.

donna b said:

2nd opinion

My problem is with an HMO, I only seem to have one radiologist in my group, located at a medium sized hospital. I was wondering about the age of equipment, etc. After seeing my primary care doc this afternoon, he assured me that the protocol for the treatment is the same nationwide. He said he'd check on the equipment for me.

I thought maybe if I got a 2nd opinion, I'd hear what I want to hear(isn't that always the case?), and be told that treatment would not be necssary. Doc said that all docs read the same "expert" studies and get the same recommendations. Everything still points to do the treatment.

Don't know if a 2nd opinion would be worthwhile. My insurance will approve for another opinion out of network, but treatment would be at original place, if I do it.

 

"There's a big difference between kneeling down and bending over"

Frank Zappa (I heard him say that in NY on Halloween 1978 at the Palladium 10 o'clock show!)

While protocols for H&N treatment are pretty standard, how the doctors plan the treatment and the equipment used does make a difference. Locally, where I almost did my treatment, the plan was rads and chemo and see what happens with the tumors, possible surgery afterwards. At Johns Hopkins, when they reviewed the treatment plan, I was told the area if irradiation would have quite possibly caused me irreversable damage to my voice and neck. It was the same IMRT treatment but a different read on the mapping. It was no brainer to choose JH. 

I recommend a 2nd opinion at a Comprehensive Cancer Center. Make sure they're doing the right thing by you locally if that's where you have to go for insurance purposes. 

"T"

donna b said:

2nd opinion

My problem is with an HMO, I only seem to have one radiologist in my group, located at a medium sized hospital. I was wondering about the age of equipment, etc. After seeing my primary care doc this afternoon, he assured me that the protocol for the treatment is the same nationwide. He said he'd check on the equipment for me.

I thought maybe if I got a 2nd opinion, I'd hear what I want to hear(isn't that always the case?), and be told that treatment would not be necssary. Doc said that all docs read the same "expert" studies and get the same recommendations. Everything still points to do the treatment.

Don't know if a 2nd opinion would be worthwhile. My insurance will approve for another opinion out of network, but treatment would be at original place, if I do it.

 

you're wanting to hear "IMRT Machine"....I thought I might have to go to Seattle or to Houston to get radiation, since I live in podunk Montana....but no.....they had all the modern stuff right here, and experienced people who knew what they were doing. 

p

donna b said:

Still can't decide

Has anyone only had one side of the mouth radiated? After a visit with my surgeon yesterday, he suggested that that might be possible in my case. He said that would "spare" the uneffected side of my mouth. Radiologist did not suggest this, so I wonder if it's possible. One more week before my radiologist visit and my need to decide whether to radiate or not. I had stage 1 tongue cancer with perineural invasion. Surgeon says it's all gone now, but maybe a 10% chance of it returning in the future. What to do??

Different location for cancer but IMRT is targeted for the cancer site with some scatter around the edges.  My first 'c' was on the right side of my upper lip.  One inch of my lip was removed, 50 stitches.  I had perineural invasion with a spindle cell varient.  Most of the rads were directed to that location with some spillover burn in other locations.  A year later I had a lymph node on the left side of my neck pop up.  Neck dissection followed by radiation.  Sept I began having double vision--after many appointments and a biopsy, 'c' had traveled up nerves in my cheek and onto optic nerve.  Surgery in November followed by chemo and radiation.  Radiologists use your scans and plan treatment

on the computer.