Things to consider when choosing treatment
After reading the article Things to Consider When Choosing Where to Be Treated (full disclosure, written by my mom, Dusty) I was wondering what other people's experiences are. Were you able to treated in your local community hospital? Did they have a cancer center? Did you elect to travel to a big-city cancer treatment center, maybe even a research hospital? If so, did you travel back and forth often, or just visit for a consultation? Wherever you went, do you feel like you received the same standard of care that others do? Just wondering what stories are out there. 😀
Kimberly
I was diagnosed with Stage 3B NSCLC. I live in eastern Tennessee. I evaluated the local option but chose to go to MD Anderson in Houston. I was diagnosed in April of 2014 and of this writing I am 16 months cancer non-detected. It took 85 radiation treatments, 16 rounds of chemo, and 4 rounds of Nivolumab.
To me the biggest difference between "local" and MD Anderson was the frequency and number of times Doctors at MDA see a particular situation. For example: Radiation, there are 75 PHD's supporting the radiation Docs, in designing the programs of radiation treatment. A local alternative will not have that support level. The downside obviously is a) cost and B) being away from home and comforts. In total I've spent 19 weeks away from home. But the survival chances in my mind have been worth the sacrifices. ..
Hi Peter,
Thank you so much for sharing your experience and thoughts on this here! It is great to hear that you are feeling better. Thinking of you.
Best,
Margot, LungCancer.net Team
