Reply to Recommendation for Lymphoma specialist (DC/MD/VA)

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[quote=Anonymous]Ok, back!  First of all, it would be helpful if you could share the lymphoma type, since there are so many.  The recommendations I got when I had a relative facing a rare kind of non-Hodgkins lymphoma were:

- Dr. Cheson in Georgetown: a leading lymphoma doc. I got several strong recommendations for him. 
- Dr. Ari Fishman in Silver Spring
- Dr. Sandra Ginsberg in DC
- Hopkins in general
- Sloan Kettering in general, and also Dr. Martin Tallman in particular 
- Weill Cornell in NYC as an academic center at the top of the game on the particular type of lymphoma my relative had

We also got advice on how to select a specialist and treatment center.

- With lymphoma second opinions are VERY important, maybe even a 3rd opinion if it is very rare. I have had 2 relatives misdiagnosed.
-  One good plan (especially since you have kids) is to get your second opinion or treatment plan at an academic center at the top of the field, then receive your treatment locally where you can have support and travel easily.  This is what my relative did: his main docs are in a city 2 hours away, but he got his chemo and monitoring in his hometown.  The chemo itself was standard so he did not need any special place to receive that.  Then he will travel to the academic center to get the stem cell transplant and experimental part of his therapy (a vaccine made from his own cancer cells!)  If you have a straight-forward type of lymphoma this may be less important. 
- An ER doc who was himself treated for a rare lymphoma wrote:  "I think it's a good idea to go to an academic center for a second opinion on therapy, but beyond that it's pretty hard to say one oncologist is better than another clinically. There is not a good rating system for that kind of thing. Having a doc that communicates well, makes you feel confident that they are listening and are willing to do the work to figure out what's best... that's more important. Often the "top doctors" are so busy that you are just another statistic, rather than a person. So, best to take the info and advice from the academic center back somewhere more peaceful."  
- These links from the Lymphoma and Leukemia Society website might be helpful:  
http://www.lls.org/#/resourcecenter/freeeducationmaterials/treatment/knowingtreatmentoptions
http://www.lls.org/#/resourcecenter/freeeducationmaterials/treatment/choosingcancerspecialistcenter

With all this information, I think if I were every facing a lymphoma diagnosis, I would probably go with Dr. Cheson in Georgetown, after getting a second opinion from Hopkins or Sloan Kettering.  If the lymphoma type were really rare, I would also go to whatever academic center at the forefront of treating it.

GOOD LUCK!  Lymphoma can be beatable, and they are developing new treatments every day.

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