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Feeling overwhelmed: How pick the right radiation oncologist at Mayo
Hello community,
I am reaching out because I am feeling quite stressed about choosing the right radiation oncologist for my prostate cancer care at Mayo Clinic.
There are so many treatment options available today—SBRT, Proton Beam, Brachytherapy, IMRT, and combination boosts—and I have no idea which one is right for my tumor profile. At the same time, I notice that many physicians list specific focus areas. My fear is that if I schedule with a doctor who only specializes in certain modalities, I might end up with a limited treatment recommendation based on what they do, rather than what is objectively best for my cancer.
For those who navigated this at Mayo:
How did Mayo match you with your radiation oncologist?
Did your physician walk you through the full spectrum of options (SBRT vs Proton vs Seeds), or did you need to consult multiple specialists?
Any reassurance or information on how Mayo’s triage and multidisciplinary teams work would mean a lot to me right now. Thank you!
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I am a patient of Dr Kwon@ mayo. He claims they have the 10 best radiologists in the world. Also said 3 of them are the most outstanding. He referred me to Dr Ryan Phillips. He and i had a zoom consultation and decided to wait for focal target. He seems very practcal. Maybe a place to start or get a recommendation from your mayo dr. Good luck!
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2 Reactions@billfarm thanks! Do you still have the others names?
@benzo
Which Mayo are you going to? I go to Mayo Jacksonville.
I had an excellent primary care provider (PCP) who was very experienced with prostate cancer (PC) as he had a lot of patients with it. He did a lot of research on PC to, in his words, "be able to help guide my patients with the best recommendations based on present research."
He guided me through my journey even recommending I get a second opinion at a major medical intuitions that treats prostate cancers even though he, my urologist, and my R/O were all at Mayo Jacksonville.
Do you have a PCP that can help you? Please do some research on this at major medical institutions. Mayo's motto is "patient first" so if you have these doubts speak up and let them know.
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3 ReactionsOne of the kindest people I've ever me is me radiation oncologist. He's done thousands of prostate cases, including mine. At our first meeting to discuss options, he outlined five different radiation options and wrote in caps "THEY'RE ALL ABOUT THE SAME". And four months after the conclusion of my 28x IMRT/RapidARC
treatments and dozens of hours reviewing radiation options, I think he's correct.
@jc76 unfortunately, my PCP doesn't know much about PC, this new unknown process for me. I don't have much confidence. Help is very limited.
@bob1955 congrats the results! Is it at mayo?
Unfortunately most PCP's don't know much about PC except to see a high PSA on your blood work (if they remember to order a PSA). If PSA high they refer you to a urologist.
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1 ReactionHi,
Maybe a second opinion from a different hospital network/doctor team might not be a bad idea just to give you some different opinions on what the Mayo team might suggest.
Dave 3+4
@benzo I go to rochester mayo. I took Kwons sugesstion for a radiologist and did not investigate the other radiologists
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1 Reaction@benzo, I know nothing about the Mayo team, but it seems to me that YOU need to find the treatment that makes the most sense to your particular case; and the treatment which you are the most comfortable with while offering the highest chances of success.
There may also be ADT involved, which might also affect your decision.
So choose the RO who specializes - or comes closest - in your particular cancer; obviously, you have a few consults ahead of you!
Phil
Phil
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