Second Opinions for Pediatric Surgical Oncology

Hearing your child has been diagnosed with cancer is scary enough, let alone learning that they’ll need surgery as part of their treatment. That’s why you want to be sure your child is getting the absolute best care if they need surgical cancer treatment. At Children’s Hospital Colorado, our Surgical Oncology Program is ranked among the top pediatric cancer treatment centers in the nation because of our collaborative approach and outstanding outcomes (success rates).

To make sure your child is receiving the best surgical cancer treatment, request a second opinion from our pediatric experts. We make it easy to meet with one of our surgical oncology specialists. 

How to get a second opinion for your child

Our Surgical Oncology Program offers two options for getting a second opinion from our pediatric providers: in-person and virtual.

In-person second opinions

Getting a second opinion from our experts is easy. First, schedule an initial informational phone call with our team. We’ll collect your child’s health information, choose the best provider to see your child and schedule your appointment.

Virtual second opinions

Our virtual second opinions allow you to get an evaluation from our experts, no matter where you live. Simply fill out our virtual second opinion request form below and a nurse will contact you to gather your child’s health information, walk you through the virtual second opinion process and schedule a virtual consultation with the best specialist for your child. A virtual second opinion costs $750.

Learn more about our virtual second opinions

Why request a second opinion from our Surgical Oncology Program

Treating cancer in children can be vastly different than treating cancer in adults. Getting a second opinion from a cancer treatment program that focuses on children is vital to getting the most effective treatment. Making sure your child gets the right treatment can also mean knowing when surgery is not necessary. The surgical oncology team works extensively with our Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders to ensure that we examine all treatment options before recommending surgery.

Additionally, our program is integrated with pediatric oncologists and radiation oncologists in the Solid Tumor Program that is part of the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders. We also work with specialists in pediatric surgery, pediatric urology, pediatric orthopedic surgery and pediatric otolaryngology. By collaborating with these multidisciplinary experts, we can better understand how the removal of a tumor might affect other organs or systems within the body, which is integral to the successful long-term care of our patients.

What specialties or programs offer a second opinion?

Our team of multidisciplinary providers diagnose and treat pediatric cancer and tumors of every kind, including:

• Adrenal tumors such as adrenocortical carcinoma or pheochromocytoma
• Head and neck tumors
• Hereditary renal tumors due to syndromes such as hemi-hypertrophy, WAGR, Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease or VHL syndrome and tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC)
• Kidney tumors such as Wilms tumor and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) or kidney cancer
• Liver tumors such as hepatoblastoma, hepatocellular carcinoma and other rare live tumors
• Neuroblastoma
• Non-gonadal germ cell tumors
• Ovarian tumors
• Pelvic tumors
• Sarcomas such as rhabdomyosarcoma, Ewing’s sarcoma and osteosarcoma
• Testicular and paratesticular tumors
• Thoracic tumors – lung and mediastinal tumors
• Many other rare tumors

We treat a wide range of cancers and tumors, so please contact us to ask about other conditions or for information about our program by calling 720-777-8000.

Learn more about the conditions we treat

Meet our second opinion surgical oncology providers

Our surgical oncologists specialize in the surgical treatment of many different types of cancers and tumors. Cancer can require multiple forms of treatment, so having an oncology specialist is important when it comes to understanding how treatments such as medication and chemotherapy may affect surgery. And having surgeons who specialize in different forms of pediatric cancers and tumors allow us to choose the specialist best suited for your child.

What should I prepare before my second opinion call?

The more information you can provide, the more accurate diagnosis we can make. Please have your child’s medical history ready before your initial second opinion call, as well as the following information and records:

Diagnosis: Your child’s diagnosis or suspected diagnosis and treatment plan
Diagnosing doctor: The diagnosing doctor’s name, address, phone and fax numbers
Treatment or operations: Previous treatments, including chemotherapy and surgery
Child’s age
Your location
Health insurance status and information

Where will my child be seen for their in-person appointment?

Your child will be seen in the Surgical Oncology Program located at our hospital on Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora. Call us at 720-777-8000. if you have any questions or would like more information.

Get answers to questions about second opinions at Children’s Colorado