Prostate cancer patients who seek 2nd opinions often ignore the feedback

Men with prostate cancer often seek out second opinions. But according to new research on men with prostate cancer, this additional step has little to no effect on treatment.

Led by Archana Radhakrishnan, MD, MHS, of Baltimore's Johns Hopkins University, a recent study published online in CANCER from the American Cancer Society analyzed why many men with prostate cancer receive a second opinion but rarely allow it to impact the course of treatment.

The study included 2,386 men with localized prostate cancer between 2012 and 2014. Roughly 40 percent of the men received a second opinion—50.8 percent because they wanted more information about their cancer and 46.3 percent because they wanted to be seen by the best doctor. Subjects said none of the second opinions correlated with receiving definitive treatment or with perceived quality of care.

Results included:

• Men with second opinions because they were seeking a better urologist were 51 percent less likely to receive definitive treatment.
• Men who wanted more information were 30 percent less likely to report an excellent quality of care when compared to men without a second opinion.
• Men who received a second opinion because they were looking for a better doctor, wanted more information and were encouraged by family and friends were most likely to choose surgery as the course of treatment.

"Patients often report getting second opinions for prostate cancer. Their impact on care that patients receive remains uncertain," said Radhakrishnan.