Savoir « passer la main » devant une situation complexe

Abstract

Seeking a second medical advice as a medical practitioner is a frequent situation that should be facilitated to best suit patients’ expectations, while maintaining medical confidentiality. The patient and his relatives need to be involved with diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. The radiation oncologist should accept and help a patient who seeks a second advice, and patients will always appreciate when the physician helps them to seek such an advice. Examples that each practitioner should know include tertiary centers tumor boards, centers with access to innovation or clinical research, or with special teams to take care of specific populations such as adolescents and young adults. In some situations, no treatment can also be the best treatment, and it takes time to explain and discuss such watchful waiting strategies to patients. In case of recurrent disease after radiotherapy, salvage reirradiation must be discussed at a tertiary tumor board and weighed against other options, especially for rare and complex cases. Radiation oncology has gained multiple options with technological advances, such as proton therapy, brachytherapy, stereotactic body radiotherapy with respiratory tracking or contact therapy. Radiation oncologists must know the benefits associated with each option in terms of survival, local control or organ preservation in order to address patients to the best practitioner.