“My mother's biopsy confirmed a malignant tumor. Should we consider a second opinion before the treatment?”
My mother's biopsy report for a growth in the lungs confirmed a tumor. Before any drastic treatment starts, can we request a second opinion from another pathology lab?
13 Answers
Usually, the laboratory uses a second Opinion from another laboratory if there were atypical cells that needed to be confirmed. I doubt that the laboratory gave you a wrong diagnosis. To answer your question, yes you can have a second opinion. Ask her Doctor and request the second opinion. Thank you.
Absolutely. You can ask your doctor what lab he/she would recommend, then the staff would handle the request. If you have a lab in mind, your mother or you, if you have a POA, can contact the lab directly and make the request. They will make you sign forms so everyone has documentation for the request. The lab may ask you for the name of the doctor or where the lab is, so they can confirm that the lab in question will accept cases for second opinions.
RB Thomas, MD
RB Thomas, MD
Yes, second opinion from a lung specialist.
This decision is completely up to you. If the diagnosis was difficult then it does not hurt to get second opinion.
A second opinion is always helpful in understanding the disease condition. Keep in mind that a second opinion does not mean that the first diagnosis was incorrect.
Pathmanathan Rajadurai
Pathologist
Yes, you should
If you and your primary physician feel comfortable with the diagnosis of mslignant lung tumor, you fon’t have to. Most likely your mother will be treated at the different hospital, even you don’t ask the second opinion. Therefore, I recommend you to submit the biopsy material to the hospital which your mother gets the treatment for lung cancer.
If it is a small cell carcinoma, I would recommend beginning treatment ASAP...a second opinion would probably not be beneficial. If it is non-small cell (squamous or adenocarcinoma) consider second opinion but discuss this option with your oncologist.
You certainly can. Ask your doctor to have a second opinion on the biopsy result.
Asking for a second opinion is always a good idea. Most insurance companies cover this consultation and will give you peace of mind before making a big decision.
Sandra L. Aponte
Pathologist
Yes always get a second opinion
It is always a good idea to confirm a malignant diagnosis. The biopsies of the lung are based on a core needle sample, which is <0.1 cm in width. Thus, there are potential over- or under-interpretation problems. Depending on the tumor type, it is critical to confirm, as targeted molecular treatments (especially in non-smoking patients) can be of great benefit. It is most important to exclude a metastatic tumor, or tumor that has started in another order and traveled to the lung.
The specialist clinician in charge of your mother is usually the person that will request a second opinion, depending on the clinical findings.
