Wow...Always get a second opinion!

jojo68

http://www.today.com/news/cancer-doctor-gave-needless-chemo-35m-fraud-prosecutors-say-6C10913890

peggy_j

This seems very hard to believe, especially that just one doctor was involved. Didn't patients get (multiple) pathology reports (from a biopsy and possible surgery)? Didn't they see multiple doctors? My PCP read my initial biopsy path report, then I saw a team of docs, including a BS, MO, RO, nurse educator. (I later switched MOs). My understanding is that the standard of care is that all cancer Tx is screened by a cancer board and there are docs and other specialists reviewing this info, including some that we patients never meet. 

jessica749

Well it sounds like this guy was an oncologist and that he treated alot of people who were in remission....it's hard to know.  And in general you would think that one would get a second opinion. But if you trust someone....you may not see the need. And if you have a bad diagnosis, and a hard life, and then the trusted doctor tells you it's 'back', you may just go with what they say you need.  I know that on one hand it seems unbelievable, but on the other hand I can see it.  

I'm a pretty informed, pretty assertive medical consumer.  And the reason I say above "I can see it" is because even though I am, compared to the average person, an informed, assertive medical consumer, I myself did not seek out second opinions.  I've never done that for any of my several surgeries!!   And I know well the rule about 'second opinions'.  This is because it seemed so clear and obvious what I needed and what standard of care was  (i.e. you have a small breast cancer tumor: you can have a lumpectomy, a single mastectomy or a double/single plus prophylactic. ... when my thyroid tumor - testing benign - was growing over time, it was a clear decision on my part based on recommendation by endocrinologist to be safe and to be rid of it.  Again, I didn't need to ask more than one surgeon what did they think about that?  Once I knew I needed/wanted the surgery, I picked someone highly recommended by overlapping sources.  Not a single surgery of the five was there a question about going to someone 'else', once I researched who was highly skilled, peer recommended, etc.  

The biopsies/diagnosis that led to surgery or oncology: I felt such a degree of confidence in the places/people I had chosen, that even if I did go to a second opinion who disagreed and gave me a different anaylsis/diagnosis, I would side with my original people.  Therefore, I never bothered to get the second opinions!  Part of me thinks that on the oncology front I should have perhaps...but I know that timing was an issue.  I basically did not meet my very booked MO until close to the end of that window. I needed to act at that point/make a decision re chemo / no chemo, not seek out rival opinions. Of course it was all grey: so I could look and find people to say yes, no, maybe. It really was up to me and again, that was pretty clear.  It's late and I'm not sure if the way I've described it makes sense, but the point is that even someone like me did not seek out second opinions in the traditional sense and I can certainly see how others in different stages of life, even in more difficult circumstances, would rely on the trust / relationship with a doctor and listen to them.

But I will agree that the story is a lesson in how that's wrong!!!!  I guess I've been lucky???!@!!!!!   

Mardibra

I was treated at an NCI hospital so the chances of this happening to me is small.  Too many people were involved...MO, RO, BS, PCP, general surgeon for port installation, etc.  However, I can see this being possible at a small facility.