The most important thing to your providers is that you feel confident in your care and comfortable with your sarcoma team. Undergoing treatment for cancer is one of the most difficult things anyone can go through. Being emotionally committed to your care and your providers is critical in obtaining the best result possible. Because of this, we encourage you to obtain second opinions if you so desire, and we will help you in any way we can.
We feel very confident that we are providing world-class sarcoma care here. We also understand that there are many different ways to approach some sarcomas. Other institutions may have different preferences with regards to their approach. You should feel comfortable asking about a second opinion and understand that our goal is to get you the best care possible.
A word of caution regarding second opinions: Patients often become frustrated at the amount of time it takes to obtain a second opinion. Most institutions and physicians require all of the lab and test results to be in their hands before they will even schedule an appointment. Many institutions require a coordinated visit with an interdisciplinary group of oncologists and surgeons, which may result in an appointment that is a number of weeks away.
Please understand that it is very frustrating for our care providers when this happens, but that we have essentially no control over the way other institutions practice or take care of their patients.
As a final note, please understand that we are able to provide you with state-of-the-art technologies to treat your sarcoma. If you encounter a sarcoma situation, whether it is a recurrence, metastases, or a relapse, and we feel you could benefit from some treatment at another institution, we will present that opportunity to you and encourage you to pursue that.