How to evaluate a cancer doctor?

Posted by lbern @lbern, Feb 26, 2019

I like my doctor. He is very nice and does a good job of calming me down. But I was given a life expectancy of 3-6 months,3 months age so everything seems so urgent to me, and it seems my cancer is progressing, so being a nice person might not be enough. I realize when the hospital assigned him to me, I never asked how much experience, how many patients have you treated with my particular cancer? I wonder if there's a way to find this out. I also wonder if there are statistics that show how successful different oncologists are treating particular cancers. I feel like asking now would be really rude and might create a tainted relationship. Wondering how patients can find out things like that without fearing insulting their doctor. Also if there are other things I should ask. I can't believe I didn't think of this at the time I met him....

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@becsbuddy

Good morning @stimme Just wondering how you’ve been doing . Have you been able to change your diet at all? And, I’ve never heard about the relationship btw eggs and prostate cancer—can you tell me about it?

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Hi, Becky, I have just been told my PSA has gone down from 15.5 to 7.7. The nurse asked me what I have been doing to make this happen. Supplements, I have to presume: Liposomal mixture - sunflower lecithin, vitamin C, curcumin & sprouted broccoli powder; Patrick Holford Multivitamin; a tincture from my herbalist of - nettle root, reishi, artichoke and equisetum; vitamin D3 4000IU; Mushroom complex; garlic capsules; magnesium; plus occasional B complex and selenium. I need to stress that, despite my Herbalist's admonitions, I am not completely consistent and occasionally miss a day entirely! I don't suppose a research scientist would be content with my description, lacking scrupulous figures but ... something is working!

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I would urge you to seek a second opinion. As noted in previous post by me, a local oncologist and surgeon advised me that my cancer was terminal as it was sitting on an artery. They failed to advise me that it was terminal as far as they were concerned because they were not qualified to provide the surgical treatment I needed. Fortunately, I refused to accept their prognosis and after computer search found that Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida had two surgeons qualified to perform the surgery. Their Rochester location also has qualified surgeons for this and I imagine Phoenix does. Even if you are not eligible for surgery, their treatment is outstanding. I had surgery in June, 2018; with recurrence of small localized tumor which was removed this April. My three month check up this week showed no sign of cancer. It might recur in the future, but I am already more than two years beyond where local doctors considered me terminal. Best wishes and prayers.

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