One of the most difficult things that a urologist has to do is to tell his patient that he has cancer. I recently had a somewhat heated debate with my partner in robotic surgery.
Prostate cancer is the leading solid organ cancer in men and is diagnosed by a biopsy in the office. The reasons for a biopsy are given by the urologist when scheduling the procedure and the urologist is present for the biopsy.
I have had discussions with my partners about the two main ways of doing this for prostate cancer and there is a difference in opinion. The two ways are over the phone or face to face.
The first way that it can be done is to have the patient come back for an office visit and go over the results in person.
The advantages of this are:
The patient is with you and can be comforted in a controlled setting.
The patient can have ample time to accept the news and immediately ask questions.
The disadvantages are:
The patient will have to wait longer for the results.
The first reaction is often shock, and the consultation for the treatment options that is to follow may not be remembered.
The second way is to give the patient the news over the phone:
The advantages of this are:
The patient will have a minimum time to wait to obtain the results.
The patient will have time to absorb the information and will be better prepared for the consultation of treatment options that is to follow.
The disadvantages are:
The patient will have to wait to meet you to go over all the options for treatment.
The patient may not have as much support at home.
Please vote on what you would prefer and add comments below specifying if you are a physician or a patient that has had to deal with this.
My thought on this will be added as a comment.
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