Why is my father's oncologist making him choose between chemotherapy or hospice?
My 86 year old father's new oncologist is pressuring him to start chemotherapy. His old oncologist said that unless he was feeling bad or having lots of complications that we would not treat his non-Hodgkin lymphoma aggressively. This doctor is now saying chemotherapy or hospice. We don't know what to do. Dad is not feeling any worse than when he was diagnosed in May.
Expert Answer
I do not know why your father's oncologist is saying that now he must choose between chemotherapy and hospice. There may be a reason, such as the lymphoma might be growing and it is important to treat it now. If that is so, your oncologist ought to be able to explain it. If your father is not happy with that choice it is reasonable to ask for a second opinion from a different oncologist. A second opinion, with the possibility of changing oncologists might be reasonable instead of a decision that might not be necessary.