• Skip to main navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to Footer
  • Navigate Novartis
    • Patients
    • Healthcare Professionals
    • Media
    • Investors
    • Partners
    • ESG
    • Job Seekers
    • Clinical Trials
  • Coronavirus
  • Global
    • Novartis site directory
Novartis logo: a global healthcare company
  • Our Company
    • Our Leadership
      • Board of Directors
      • Executive Committee of Novartis
    • Our Approach
      • Strategy
      • Corporate Responsibility
      • Diversity & Inclusion
      • Partnering
      • People and Culture
    • Our Business
      • Global Product Portfolio
      • Innovative Medicines
      • Novartis Pharmaceuticals
      • Novartis Gene Therapies
      • Novartis Oncology
      • Sandoz
    • Media
      • Newsroom
      • News Archive
      • Multimedia Resources
      • Subscribe to Updates
    • Investors
      • Event Calendar
      • Financial Data
      • Share Data & Analysis
      • Shareholder Information
      • Environmental, Social & Governance
  • Our Focus
    • Disease Areas
      • Cancer
      • Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolic Medicine
      • Immunology & Dermatology
      • Ophthalmology
      • Neuroscience
      • Respiratory
    • Platforms and Technology
      • Data and Digital
      • Cell & Gene Therapy
    • Novartis Stories
      • Discovery
      • From Our Labs
      • Access to Healthcare
      • Patient Perspectives
      • People and Culture
      • Live Magazine
  • Our Impact
    • Building Trust with Society
      • Corporate Responsibility
      • Ethical Standards
      • Access
      • Environmental Sustainability
    • Global Health
      • Malaria
      • Sickle Cell Disease
      • Chagas disease
      • Leprosy
      • Novartis Foundation
    • ESG Performance and Reporting
      • Materiality Assessment
      • Environmental, Social and Governance
      • Transparency and Disclosures
      • Positions on Key Topics
      • Statements on Key Issues
  • Our Science
    • Research & Early Development
      • Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research
      • Research Disease Areas
      • Postdoc Program
      • Open Source Science
    • Drug Development at Novartis
      • Novartis Pipeline
      • Clinical Trials
      • Translational Medicine
      • Global Product Portfolio
    • Science Stories
      • Discovery
      • From Our Labs
  • Careers
    • Your Career
      • Global Career Search
      • Teams and Skills
      • Gene Therapies Careers
    • Working at Novartis
      • Diversity & Inclusion
      • People and Culture
      • Corporate Responsibility
    • Career Programs
      • Our Career Programs
      • Students and Scholars
      • Novartis Quantitative Sciences Hackathon
Search
T.J. Sharpe discusses choosing the right care
  • TwitterTweet
  • FacebookShare
  • Share
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Email
    • Whatsapp
  • Jump to Comments
Stories/Patient Perspectives

Choosing the right care

Melanoma survivor T.J. Sharpe shares why patients should know their treatment options.

By
T.J. Sharpe
May 25, 2017

One of the most difficult things for a cancer patient is making the final decision about a treatment team and plan. Selecting an oncologist isn’t like popping open your smartphone and pulling up an app to choose a trendy dinner spot. Rather, choosing the right care is an art based on treatment options, patient objectives and personal preferences.

Many patients’ initial reactions to a diagnosis are similar – they may feel inclined to do what their first doctor says is the best course of action.1 While the suggested treatment may end up being the right one for you, it does no harm to verify that recommendation. Getting a second opinion can give added perspective and may provide potential alternate treatment options or plans. A good doctor will not be upset or offended if you seek the professional opinion of one of his or her colleagues. After all, people get multiple quotes for things like auto insurance, refrigerator repairs and legal advice all the time. Why wouldn’t we conduct the same due diligence when it comes to our healthcare decisions?

Let’s be clear: If you are a patient, a decision about treatment is yours and yours alone. (The only exceptions are for rare, imminently life-threatening cases, or when a patient is incapacitated.) Doctors, even the top oncologists in the world, are at their core extremely smart professionals who are providing you with extremely important advice and services. That being said, as the patient, you need to make the choice that you are most comfortable with. 

Let’s be clear: If you are a patient, a decision about treatment is yours and yours alone.

 

During my initial diagnosis, I got the opinion of the very first oncologist I saw – a general oncologist, not a melanoma specialist. Unaware that melanoma was at the forefront of the immunotherapy wave taking off, he recommended standard-of-care chemotherapy, complete with its abysmal stage IV survival rates.2 Had I taken his advice, I think there’s a strong chance I would not be alive today.

I met with a second doctor in the US, regarded as one of the top oncologists in South Florida. He gave me several options, but ultimately suggested that I see one of his colleagues across the state, explaining that they would have more treatment options, including clinical trials. This is the type of oncologist you want advising you. For several reasons, I decided to do my first trial with the doctor who was recommended, but I would not hesitate to return to the local doctor for a consult or treatment. He had my best interest at heart and helped me navigate my options.

The difference in care is striking, but I do not have any ill will toward that first oncologist. He simply was not in a place to know what was just around the corner in terms of new treatment options. Fortunately, I was able to do my own research, and with the assistance of a melanoma advocacy group, I found not one but two clinical trials that have given me a second chance at life.

Making an informed choice can only happen when a patient and his or her team are aware of their options and have a clear goal in mind. Many patients, like me, want to recapture a significant part of life expectancy. Others have different goals, like my family friend Bobbe, who wanted to have good quality of life in her remaining years and enjoy watching her grandson grow up. Some patients, like those with a terminal diagnosis, may look for the option that can give them enough time to experience a life milestone such as the birth of a child or a wedding.

T.J. Sharpe discusses experiencing a cancer diagnosis
Patient Perspectives

Inside a cancer diagnosis

Each patient, each situation, and each cancer is unique. Learning about treatment options and choosing a certain path are actions that ultimately rest on the shoulders of the patient, with the support of loved ones and treatment teams.  

In summary, if you are a patient, know what your options are. Understand the possible outcomes associated with each treatment. And make the choices you are most comfortable with.

 

Shareline

Read a #cancer survivor’s thoughts on choosing the right care.
Tweet Tweetpopo
Tags: 
Cancer, Oncology, Patient Voices, Clinical Trials, Cancer Research Institute

T.J. Sharpe

T.J. Sharpe

is a Melanoma survivor, Blogger & Cancer Advocate.

Disclaimer: 

T.J. Sharpe is not a medical professional, but a patient currently undergoing care for advanced melanoma. He is being compensated by Novartis for sharing his story. All opinions are his own. Any and all information, tips, advice, etc. included throughout his series of blog posts stem from his personal experience as a patient. Patients should always consult their doctors when seeking medical advice.

    • TwitterTweet
    • FacebookShare
    • Share
      • Twitter
      • Facebook
      • LinkedIn
      • Email
      • Whatsapp
    • Jump to Comments
  • Print
  • Save

Novartis Stories

View all

Couple looking a digital devices outside
Patient Perspectives

Digital innovation looks set to dominate the 2021 healthcare agenda

A woman, accompanied by her caregiver, shares her experiences with a doctor.
Patient Perspectives

Turning the sound up on patient voices in lung cancer research and development

Chinese family embracing exercise and the outdoors
Patient Perspectives

AI Nurse evolving for health failure patients in China

You are here

  1. Home ›
  2. Stories ›
  3. Patient Perspectives

Novartis Global

  • Navigate Novartis

    • Patients & Caregivers
    • Healthcare Professionals
    • Investors
    • Media
    • Society & ESG
    • Partners
  • Contact Us

    • Global Contacts
    • Office Locations
    • For Investors
    • For Media
  • About Novartis

    • Our Company
    • Our Focus
    • Our Impact
    • Our Science
    • Our Stories
  • Our Portfolio

    • Global Product Portfolio
    • Global Clinical Pipeline
  • Careers

    • Career Search

Connect with Novartis

  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • instagram
Novartis Site Directory
© 2021 Novartis AG
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Site Map
  • Cookie Settings

This site is intended for a global audience.