The Search for a Second Opinion

>> WGCU NEWS. >> CANCER IS A LEADING HEALTH CONCERN IN FLORIDA WITH THE STATE HOLDING THE SECOND HIGHEST CANCER BURDEN IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY. THE FLORIDA CANCER DATA SYSTEM ESTIMATES THAT UP TO 145,000. FLORIDIANS ARE DIAGNOSED WITH SOME FORM OF CANCER EVERY YEAR OVER 60% OF THOSE CASES DIAGNOSED IN PEOPLE AGE 65 AND OLDER. AND AS WGCUS CARY BARBOR LEARNED SECOND OPINIONS CAN COME FROM ANYWHERE EVEN ALL THE WAY IN COLUMBUS, OHIO. >> FLORIDA SAW AT LEAST 170,000 NEW CASES OF CANCER LAST YEAR, ACCORDING TO THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY. THAT'S HIGHER THAN THE NATIONAL AVERAGE BASED ON THE STATE'S POPULATION. CAMERON RAFT MILLS, CEO OF THE JAMES CANCER INSTITUTE IN OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXPLAINS WHAT ACCOUNTS FOR FLORIDA'S HIGH RATES. >> OUR CHANCES FOR HAVING CANCER INCREASE AS WE AGE. AND FLORIDA HAS A DISPROPORTIONATELY OLDER POPULATION. THE JAMES CANCER INSTITUTE OR THE JAMES MAY BE ABLE TO HELP. >> DR ARREST MEL RECOMMENDS PATIENTS SHOULD ALWAYS GET A SECOND OPINION AND THANKS TO ADVANCES IN TECHNOLOGY THAT OPINION MAYBE FROM A DOCTOR IN COLUMBUS, OHIO. FIRST OF ALL, PATIENTS SEEM TO KNOW THAT IT IS OK TO ASK FOR SECOND OPINIONS. THIS IS YOUR LIFE THAT YOU'RE DEALING WITH AND YOU SHOULD HAVE THE FULL CONFIDENCE OF YOUR TEAM. >> IT IS ALSO VERY MUCH OK TO EXPECT THAT THOSE DOCTORS. >> ARE BOTH ON YOUR TEAM. AND THAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS MORE THAN PEOPLE. >> PROBABLY REALIZE. I THINK THERE'S SORT OF A SENSE THAT THERE WILL BE SOME ANIMOSITY OR COMPETITION. THERE USUALLY IS NOT. AND THERE SHOULD BE. >> PAUL PERRY OF NAPLES RECEIVED THE STYLE OF TREATMENT FOR HIS MULTIPLE MYELOMA. THE GREAT THING IS I HAVE A LOCAL. >> ON COLLEGES TO IS EXCELLENT. HAVING ON COLLEGES TO OHIO STATE WHOSE EXCELLENT THE 2 OF THEM SHARE PATIENTS. WE GO BACK AND FORTH BECAUSE OF THE MYELOMA. 3 YEARS AGO, I HAD A KIDNEY TRANSPLANT BECAUSE MY KIDNEY AND FAILED AND RIGHT THERE BECAUSE MY FLARED UP MY LOCAL DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY JUMPS IN AT THE MOMENT, ALL IMMEDIATELY UNDER CONTROL AGAIN, BUT IT WAS THE SHARING OF KNOWLEDGE AND THE JUST THE FLUIDITY WHERE IT GOES BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN MY PROVIDERS HERE AND THERE THAT WORKS OUT SO WELL. >> DR ARREST MEL, WHO UNTIL RECENTLY WAS HEAD OF THE NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE, HOPES TO EXPAND THIS WAY OF WORKING. >> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO BE CHAMPIONS OF IS THAT A MODEL OF CARE? THAT'S EXACTLY LIKE I DESCRIBE HAVING AN EXPERT, YOU KNOW, MYELOMA TEAM THIS, YOU KNOW, DEEP IN THE LATEST AND GREATEST OF MY LAW MUPPET ALSO HAVING GENERAL IS DON'T CALL JUST WHERE YOU LIVE. WHO CAN BE THERE FOR THE DAY TODAY. AND AND THAT THEY'RE NOT. AND THAT ALL COMPETITION EACH OTHER. YOU NEED THE REALLY FINAL 2, AN INDIVIDUAL. >> PATIENTS SUCCESS, THE IDEAL SHE SAYS, IS TO GET PATIENTS THE RIGHT CARE AT THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME. SHE SAYS THE MORTALITY FROM CANCER HAS DECREASED 30% IN THE LAST 30 YEARS. THANKS IN LARGE PART TO ADVANCES LIKE THIS. AND MEDICAL RESEARCH. >> CRITICAL RESEARCH IS REALLY THE STANDARD OF CARE TODAY AND IN CANCER. AND THAT'S NOT SAYING THAT, BOY, WE DON'T KNOW WE'RE DOING SO WE HAVE TO DO A TRIAL IS ACTUALLY SAYING THAT WE'RE AT A PLACE WHERE EVERYTHING HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE BETTER. TODAY, WHETHER IT'S MOVING FROM TERRIBLE BUT TOXIC TO CARAMEL AND MORE TOLERABLE OR LEARNING HOW WE TAKE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT CURE AND MOVING INTO PREVENTION. SHE SAYS THIS PROMISES TO HELP LOWER THE MORTALITY RATE EVEN MORE IN COMING YEARS. >> THE FUTURE FOR EARLY DETECTION AND MANAGING CANCER PROACTIVELY IS REALLY BRIGHT AND VERY EXCITING. >> FOR WGCU NEWS, I'M CARY BARBOR IN NAPLES.