UAB Offers Multiple Options for Cancer Second Opinions

When it comes to cancer, getting a second opinion on a diagnosis and treatment plan is essential. Patients and their families should have no hesitation in seeking a second opinion on their cancer treatment options.

But where do you turn in seeking a second opinion? The UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center has two programs available for those wanting a second or even third opinion on the best course of action to tackle a cancer diagnosis.

Remote Second Opinion

UAB began offering a remote second opinion in 2011. This option allows patients with a cancer diagnosis the option of consulting the experts at the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center without traveling to Birmingham.

The program started with second opinions on brain tumors, and after positive patient feedback, it was expanded to include all cancer diagnoses.

For $450, patients in nearly every state, and some outside the U.S., can submit their medical records and history for review by the oncologists at the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center. Additional review by radiation oncologists and pathologists is available for an additional fee.

The UAB Remote Second Opinion offers ready access to UAB physicians from the comfort of the patient’s hometown. Once complete, the second opinion provides a written treatment plan that the patient can share with their personal physician.

“Patients want the best possible care, and the expertise of the physicians at an academic medical center like UAB via the remote second opinion program opens the door for the most appropriate leading edge treatment plan.,” says Carla Sims of the UAB Cancer Care Network.

Local Second Opinion

For patients in the Birmingham, Ala., area in need of a second opinion on their cancer diagnosis, the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center offers ready access to more than 350 cancer physicians and researchers. As Alabama’s only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, the UAB Cancer Center provides patients with the advantage of specialized physicians, leading technology, and new therapies that may not be available elsewhere in the community.

Patients wishing to receive a second opinion can simply fill out our   request an appointment form   or call UAB Healthfinder at 205.934.9999.