This compilation of experts was compared to a tumor board meeting - I think that's a bit of a stretch considering that it included doctors from 6 different institutions. What I would't have given for my father to have had access to such a juggernaut of info. This was not the case my friends - far from it for the average american. We were able to eventually get treatment from Duke, unboubtedly a top-notch brain cancer spot. That was after a number of bad experiences locally. To have multi-institutional input from the jump may not have saved my father but I would imagine it would have eased our minds a bit in the early days of his diagnosis.
Excerpt From:
The story behind Kennedy's brain surgery
C.2008 NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICEExcerpt From:
The story behind Kennedy's brain surgery
What is known is that a few days after Kennedy learned he had a malignant brain tumor in the left parietal lobe, he invited a group of national experts to discuss his case.
The meeting on May 30 was extraordinary in at least two ways.
One was the ability of a powerful patient — in this case, a scion of a legendary political family and the chairman of the Senate’s health committee — to summon noted consultants to learn about the latest therapy and research findings.
The second was his efficiency in quickly convening more than a dozen experts from at least six academic centers. Some flew to Boston. Others participated by telephone after receiving pertinent test results and other medical records.
