Second Opinions in Oncology

The long-time goal is to understand what decision-making process and patient characteristics factor into a patient deciding to stay with their initial physician versus seeking treatment with a second opinion. To do this, the PI will examine the second opinion retention rates and patient characteristics of three distinct populations: breast cancer patients, pancreatic cancer patients and colorectal cancer patients. The study team hypothesize the majority of breast cancer and colorectal cancer patients who seek a second opinion at the University of Colorado, will preferentially choose to return to their first provider, whereas patients with pancreatic cancer who seek a second opinion at the sponsor's institution will be more likely to go on to receive care at the University of Colorado. The PI predicts the difference in second opinion retention rates between these three populations is due to the ability of the second opinion pancreatic cancer provider's ability to offer more treatment or a different treatment plan at the sponsor institution relative to the patient's first provider. The study team also predict that socioeconomic status and education will have a positive correlation with changing to with a second opinion physician whereas geographic distance and treatment plan similarity will have a negative correlation. The study team will assess this hypothesis by conducting a retrospective cohort study of breast, pancreatic, and colorectal cancer patients who received a second opinion at the University of Colorado. From this cohort, the study team will identify patients who both received their care at the sponsor institution and patients who returned to their initial provider to receive care. The study team will invite these patients to participate in semi-structured interviews to better understand how and why the patient made their treatment decisions.