Most Searched
Originally published August 22, 2024
Last updated April 23, 2025
Reading Time: 6 minutes
Search more articles
News & Magazine
Topics
Not all physicians welcome hearing that their patient wants to seek a second opinion from another doctor. There are, however, many reasons why second opinions can be valuable 鈥� not only to the patient but to physicians themselves.
鈥淚t鈥檚 actually not that common,鈥� says , a medical oncologist for 喵咪社区 Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of 喵咪社区. He estimates that 5%-10% of his patients will pursue a second opinion. But he also points out that some patients might not tell him they鈥檙e getting a second opinion, so he might not know if they do. Conversely, Nguyen estimates that 10% of his current patients are other physicians鈥� patients coming to him for a second opinion.
Patients are more likely to seek a second opinion when faced with a life-threatening disease, he says. 鈥淭hese patients are not afraid to ask for a second opinion because they want to be sure they鈥檙e making the right choices,鈥� he explains.
Generally, patients seeking second opinions fall into one of two categories. 鈥淭here are usually two types: patients who have received a brand-new diagnosis, or patients who have been diagnosed with a disease for a long time and whose disease is still progressing even though they have been through a lot of treatment. These patients usually come to me to try to gain any new ideas for treatment.鈥�
鈥淏ut again,鈥� he says, 鈥淚鈥檇 say that second opinions don鈥檛 happen frequently.鈥�
When second opinions do happen, there usually isn鈥檛 a drawback.
First off, Nguyen says, 鈥淒octors are humans, too.鈥� Double-checking a physician鈥檚 diagnosis and treatment plan is never a bad idea.
Nguyen himself welcomes his patients gaining second opinions for several reasons. First, if a patient鈥檚 disease is rare or complex 鈥� one without a long-established standard of care 鈥� obtaining another doctor鈥檚 input can be helpful. In those cases, he says, 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 important to get other opinions.鈥�
鈥淚f a patient has a rare type of tumor, or a rare leukemia or lymphoma, for which there isn鈥檛 a standard of care, getting a second physician鈥檚 insight can open other treatment pathways I hadn鈥檛 considered,鈥� he continues. 鈥淲e can evaluate and compare our recommendations to help the patient decide which approach they prefer. I can say, 鈥楾hese are the reasons I recommended this, but I can see why the other doctor recommended that.鈥欌��
When patients do seek a second opinion from him, he tries to evaluate each case with fresh eyes. 鈥淚f it鈥檚 a new diagnosis, I tell the patient not to tell me what the other doctor said. Let me look at your data and formulate my own opinions objectively. After that, you can tell me what the other doctor said, and we can compare notes.鈥� But if a patient鈥檚 disease is very complex or advanced, then it helps to hear the other doctor鈥檚 history of diagnosis and treatment at the start before forming his recommendations.
In either case, he remains neutral when delivering his own recommendations. 鈥淣umber one, I don鈥檛 want to say any bad or good things about the other doctor; I want to remain neutral,鈥� he explains. 鈥淎nd number two, I don鈥檛 want the patient to feel like they didn鈥檛 get the right care.鈥�
Finally, another reason consulting with another provider can be helpful is that the provider might know of a clinical trial that could benefit the patient. 鈥淚 would certainly encourage patients to see what other trials are out there,鈥� Nguyen says. 鈥淥ftentimes, I鈥檒l look for open trials for patients 鈥� either here at Keck Medicine or elsewhere. If I see a clinical trial somewhere else that looks promising, I鈥檒l tell them, 鈥榃hy don鈥檛 you get a second opinion with those guys?鈥欌��
Nguyen finds second opinions helpful because they can validate his original recommendations to a patient. 鈥淧ersonally, I welcome them because, the majority of the time, the second opinion will come back saying what I said,鈥� he notes.
鈥淎 lot of the common tumors we treat like breast cancer and colon cancer 鈥� we see those cases all day long, and they have standard protocols and straightforward pathways already established nationwide that most doctors agree on,鈥� he continues. 鈥淪o, when another doctor provides their second opinion, it will reinforce my own recommendation to the patient, and it will give them more confidence in the treatment plan. It will allow them to be more at peace with the plans we鈥檝e discussed because another physician has independently recommended the same thing.鈥�
If both doctors鈥� treatment plans are valid and would be equally effective, it can be left to the patient to decide which they prefer. 鈥淚f the patient decides to follow a different treatment recommended by another doctor, but it鈥檚 still an acceptable treatment pathway that I can provide, I don鈥檛 have anything against that,鈥� says Nguyen. 鈥淚鈥檓 more than happy to administer that treatment.鈥�
Nguyen says he will dissent when he doesn鈥檛 believe an alternative treatment will work.
The most common example are holistic treatments. 鈥淚 tell the patient I don鈥檛 have data to support those holistic treatments. If they want to undergo those treatments in combination with the treatments I鈥檓 proposing, and as long as those holistic treatments aren鈥檛 damaging, I鈥檇 be okay with it 鈥� but I won鈥檛 provide those holistic treatments myself. The patient would have to go to a holistic doctor for that.鈥�
Another time he might dissuade a patient from seeking out a second opinion is when a patient needs to start treatment right away.
鈥淚 do welcome second opinions as long as there is time for it,鈥� he explains. 鈥淚f there are diseases that are very aggressive, moving at a fast pace and I think we they need to get on treatment right away, I鈥檒l tell the patient, 鈥業 don鈥檛 know that you have time for a second opinion. You need to start treatment. You can still seek that second opinion but do it after you start treatment.鈥�
鈥淎s long as there is time for getting second opinions, however, I encourage it,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 tell the patient we can start treatment in the next three or four weeks. There鈥檚 time. Go ahead, go over there and get an opinion, then come back and let me know what you find out.鈥�
Some doctors do get offended when their patients want a second opinion from elsewhere. 鈥淚t happens,鈥� Nguyen says. 鈥淚鈥檝e had patients come to see me for a second opinion who have said, 鈥楳y doctor wasn鈥檛 happy I鈥檓 getting a second opinion. They told me if I do so, don鈥檛 come back. If you walk out the door, keep walking.鈥欌��
For the most part, however, he believes most physicians do welcome patients getting second opinions. And if a patient wants one, he believes it鈥檚 in everyone鈥檚 best interest to be as helpful as possible.
He offers to review lists of other physicians his patients are considering seeing and will provide feedback on who he thinks would or wouldn鈥檛 be the best fit. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e going to take time to get a second opinion,鈥� he says, 鈥渢hen get it from the best of the best.鈥�
Most of the time, his patients will consult him when they鈥檙e thinking about getting a second opinion. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e very forthright with me,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e not ashamed about it or scared to ask. A lot of that has to do with the physician-patient relationship. If they鈥檝e known me for a while, they鈥檙e comfortable bringing it up and asking.鈥�
That鈥檚 the way it should be, he says. 鈥淭he diseases we deal with are life-threatening diseases, and you want the patient to be at peace with what they are doing. I think all physicians should encourage second opinions when the patient asks for it. The more you can put them at peace, the better the treatment will go.鈥�
Share
