It is impossible for one primary physician to be informed on the latest and best treatment for every type of cancer. Furthermore, it is impossible for one specialist, such as a surgeon, radiotherapist or oncologist, to know the very latest and best treatment in his own specialty for every one of the more than one hundred different types of cancer. At lunch with a medical oncologist, I asked how often he treated a patient for cancer without a second opinion. This man, in his sixties, replied that he had never in his career treated a cancer patient without a second opinion. Furthermore, he always insisted on a second opinion from someone other than an associate of his.
Cancer is a very serious disease that grows exponentially.
If it is not diagnosed properly the first time, there is often no second chance. The doctor is human and could make a mistake. Someone else could see something that one doctor doesn't see. Someone else could know something that one doctor doesn't know. I thought this was a profound statement.