NEWLY DIAGNOSED PROSTATE CANCER GUIDE
You can ask your current doctor’s office for copies of your records. If you have had treatment or tests in a hospital or clinic, you may need to contact their medical records department to find out how to get these records. Sometimes you can request your records through an online patient portal if your doctor’s office, treatment center, or hospital has one. Making Sense of the Second Opinion If the second opinion differs from the first, you may find the following tips helpful:
Talk to the second doctor about the opinion of the first Make an appointment with your first doctor to talk about the second opinion Ask both doctors to explain how they arrived at their treatment plan Ask what research studies or professional guidelines they consulted Ask if it is possible for the two doctors to review your case together
Do your own research on the latest treatment guidelines. Two good sources are the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Treatment Guidelines ( nccn.org ) and the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) PDQ® Cancer Treatment Summaries ( cancer.gov ). Both are available in versions for health professionals (which use medical language and terminology) and patients (which use everyday language).
A PATIENT EDUCATION SERIES |
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