Price of private appointment with NHS oncologist for ovarian cancer?

[BastardCancerBastardCovid]

Posting here for traffic. I wondered if anyone has a ballpark figure for the fee for a private consultation with an oncologist?

This may sound stupid, but is it really a very individual "how long is a piece of string" situation - as in, do leading research doctors charge a lot more?

I have only ever paid privately in the UK for an in-demand dermatologist, no experience of paying for this sort of thing at all, so a bit unsure of what prices to expect.

Thanks everyone. It's for my mum, not me, she has an ovarian cancer diagnosis already. However, her hospital don't seem to offer at least one of the latest treatments (HIPEC - a sort of 'heated up' chemo delivered after surgery) and of course she may not be a suitable candidate for that, but we would like to know if it is an option under a different hospital/ oncologist.

Plus, I can't help feeling if they don't offer that, is there anything else she will potentially miss out on that might help her?

As ballparks those figures sound like a good investment. She is keen to explore all potential pathways, so I think an appointment with a top oncologist might be good to let us know if there are any other possible options.

My friend went privately, had a positive diagnosis for an ovarian tumour and almost immediate surgery in a private clinic.
The tumour was cancerous and this seemed quite unexpected. After several consultations the surgeon admitted she'd be better off with the nhs and she underwent a hysterectomy and debulking surgery. Two major surgeries in 3 weeks and she's so weak that she's still not fit to have chemotherapy, 4 months after the surgery. The nhs route would have been more successful.

NHS hospitals have different drugs/treatments on their protocols. It depends on the area. I know that my mum missed out on cancer drugs due to our area. I’d say it’s a good idea to see a private oncologist.

I've been to colorectal consultants and a few others and in my experience it tends to be around the £400 mark. That is central London price.

Maybe call up and ask?

If it's a specific treatment you would like to discuss - can you ask for an NHS 2nd opinion to a centre that offers the HIPEC treatment?

In theory you can't mix NHS and private care (although it happens on the QT) so even if you saw someone privately and then wanted to proceed with the HIPEC treatment in the NHS, your Mum would have to be referred to an NHS treatment centre. Private cancer treatments are eye wateringly expensive without private medical insurance.

Ask for a 2nd NHS opinion - phone the current consultant's secretary and ask

Had a private scan last week which cost £525. In and out in 10 minutes. Report back in a week.

I think you are entitled to a second opinion on the NHS, so might be worth asking for that?

@BastardCancerBastardCovid

Thanks everyone. It's for my mum, not me, she has an ovarian cancer diagnosis already. However, her hospital don't seem to offer at least one of the latest treatments (HIPEC - a sort of 'heated up' chemo delivered after surgery) and of course she may not be a suitable candidate for that, but we would like to know if it is an option under a different hospital/ oncologist.

Plus, I can't help feeling if they don't offer that, is there anything else she will potentially miss out on that might help her?

As ballparks those figures sound like a good investment. She is keen to explore all potential pathways, so I think an appointment with a top oncologist might be good to let us know if there are any other possible options.

Remeber private health cover often won't include the cutting edge procedures.

They like old tried and true methods that they aren't going to v liable for

You can have a second opinion for free on the NHS. Or just ask your own oncologist 'would I be suitable for HIPEC if it was available'. They'll all know.

If HIPEC is available on the NHS and she is appropriate for it, then her MDT should be sending her somewhere that does it.

If it's not on the NHS at all you would have to fund the whole treatment which would be a lot more expensive.

depends on the organisation the consultant does the private work through.
just a consultation is around 200-250£
but that's just sitting down with the consultant. any test costs extra.
an mri or other imaging (and it's review) is easily 1k, more if contrast is needed. a 'normal' blood test around 100£, specialist blood tests cost extra.

cancer treatment is really really expensive. as in london house price expensive.

and if you go back to nhs, they might not take your private test results seriously and you might need to repeat tests.

good luck!

I hate the putting down of private care on here.

• most private cancer care covers far more than standard care. They are the ones who do the cutting edge procedures, they don’t go for tried and tested, they often use drugs which aren’t available on the NHS and have a far wider choice of options they can use. So long as the consultant can write to the insurance company to explain why they’ve chosen to do something the insurance company will almost always cover it.

• of course the NHS accept the private care results: if they are done in a reputable hospital by a proper team they are covered, the secretaries just share them digitally.

NHS cancer care can be great. Private cancer care done at a proper cancer hospital especially for rare or late cancers is a whole other level because you can seek out and get yourself the experts who you choose because of their skills and expertise

not putting down private care, but unless you have insurance that could cover it you need to be aware of the cost.

and cancer treatment doesn't cost a couple of thousand pounds but often more than a couple of hundred thousand pounds. sometimes closer to the million mark (depending on treatment and care needed).

NHS cancer care can be great. Private cancer care done at a proper cancer hospital especially for rare or late cancers is a whole other level because you can seek out and get yourself the experts who you choose because of their skills and expertise

Most people aren’t informed enough about cancer to know which treatments may be most effective for them. Sometimes it’s the tried and tested rather than the new which works for their particular tumour.

My mum nearly spent ££ for a private consultation when the nhs “refused” to treat her brain tumour. When no treatment was the best course of action.

See all the current memes wondering why we have covid vaccine so quickly yet years of research and no cancer vaccine.. see all the fundraising for “treatment abroad” when their best option is the nhs.

Seeking out those dr’s who will give you a treatment you think is better - unless you actually have background in medicine it’s unlikely your decision will be the right one.

She has private insurance. Quite a decent policy as far as I know but I don't have access to the policy documents to check exact details, I am quarantining before seeing her and not there with her yet. I live in America so obviously have private healthcare myself, and thus am well-versed in how much insurance companies will argue and refuse to pay for things. It's easier to just pay for the consultation in this situation, and take it from there, imo.

She has had extensive scans etc already which can be taken to any other consultant, to help form an overall picture.

If she has private insurance, the first thing she should do is speak to them.

Seeking out those dr’s who will give you a treatment you think is better - unless you actually have background in medicine it’s unlikely your decision will be the right one

Sorry, this irritates me a little. It's really not true and is part of the problem with medicine (not just NHS but in general) that people think like this.

My background is not clinical but is in public health focusing on chronic non communicable diseases. I have seen far too much bullshit in healthcare systems in several different countries to passively sit back on this. So while I know nothing about cancer, I do know how dangerous it is to put blind faith in the one doctor, who quite bluntly is probably not at the top of their field.

I'm very sorry about your mum and completely agree that sometimes no course of action is the right choice. Of course.

However, that is not always the best choice in every situation.

What she wants to do is see a mainstream doctor, who sees a lot of NHS patients, and will have an honest conversation about what is proven to work, what is experimental and what sounds good but has no proof at all.

Some of the supposed 'top doctors' in private practice barely see an NHS patient and will offer you the world on a stick. I've seen some families bankrupted and devastated by false promises and then of course when it goes tits up, the consultant isn't seen for dust.

A more mainstream doctor will give you an experience you are happy with and also know all about the new treatments available + their pros and cons.

Your update does change the picture dramatically. Call the insurers and ask for a list of private oncologists. Preferably do your homework and have an idea of who and where you want to see.

Of course there are different options available if you have decent insurance or extremely deep pockets.

Best wishes to your DM.

Not at the top of their field - all NHS oncologists practice very consistently. Everything is done via a multi-disciplinary meeting and via evidence based guidelines, even if she is being seen at a small hospital they will all work at a major cancer centre too.

There isn't a lot of variation in practice TBH - I'm not an oncologist but see a lot of cancer patients of all descriptions and it's clear they all go through the same pathways, referrals to higher specialist centres when necessary etc.

@bluebluezoo I am afraid I respectfully disagree with you. My late DH had a very rare cancer which the NHS said they could do nothing about. We found one of the only specialists in the country who dealt with this cancer and once introduced to him and his team he treated my husband and controlled his cancer for 2 years of which about 21 months of those he was in excellent health. The treatments were standard in other countries. By getting on to the expert we then had access to opinions from around the world, including consultations at no cost with one of the experts in the US which we wouldn't have got without the introduction from our doctor. Of course we didn't tell the doctor what treatment to do but we had access to trying things which the NHS simply wouldn't have considered. Many MDT's, especially if they are not in teaching hospitals or in cancer centres simply don't come across some cancers, they also have a standard of care which they don't deviate from, sometimes because it's not on the protocols, sometimes because of cost and sometimes they simply just aren't experts in the latest things.

@BastardCancerBastardCovid I totally agree. As patients we have to advocate for ourselves. My husband saw "the consultant" at our local NHS hospital which actually in some areas excels in some kinds of cancer treatment

"The consultant" was very young. Took one look at my husband and said "we can try a bit of chemo but it won't work". If I took the view of some of the posters on this thread we would have walked away.

What we did was find the expert in the particular cancer. A professor working not only privately at the top cancer hospital in the UK, but also a leading researcher in the specific disease at the ICR and also with a private practice. He didn't offer us a cure, that was never going to happen but he did say "we can try A, and then if that doesn't work we can try B and C. Then we move to trials and I know all the current trials, oh and I'll call my mates in America, Canada and Italy and just run it past them too"

Now, as an NHS patient under him in his hospital my husband may have got similar treatment but we would have had to do the same research to find him and get a referral and see him. Privately, this was not a problem and as I said above, it gave my husband an extra 2 years, time to spend with his family, generally feeling well and us a clear sense that he had had the best treatment he could possibly have had and that no stone was left unturned.

I remember your previous thread. How does your mum feel about this?

Unless you are planning to pay privately for the treatment then your first step needs to be the insurance company.

If a private consultant recommends a less standard course of action (some experimental procedures) then it may not be paid for by insurance, or available to your mum on the nhs

Its important (unless you are paying for it out of pocket) that the person you see is able to work with her insurance provider

@BastardCancerBastardCovid

Seperate to your question here. How are you coping? Your previous threads had difficulties about getting over here, did you manage to come over?

What does your mum think about a second opinion etc?

I remember in your first thread people talking about how easy it is to get into a really "practical, problem needs to be solved," sort of mindset. I posted about my experience where I sort of became obsessed with research, and became a bit of a bull dozer to try and avoid thinking what was actually being said. I'm not saying it's the case here but it's really important that you look after yourself and give yourself time to adjust to some really upsetting news.

She needs a doctor that has treated 100 people with her type of cancer. Not one that's only treated 10. Probably more likely to find that on the NHS.

She needs a doctor that has treated 100 people with her type of cancer. Not one that's only treated 10. Probably more likely to find that on the NHS.

Why? Most oncologists who work privately will also have an NHS practice. However, she's looking for one who does internal chemotherapy. My understanding is that this procedure is mainly done in one particular hospital and can be very effective. She needs to speak to a doctor with experience of it who has done it who can give an opinion on whether he mother is a suitable candidate, not from the local doctor who has heard about it but never performed it so can't actually make that judgement.