Dr. Hussain on the Importance of Multidisciplinary Care

Maha H. Hussain, MBChB, a professor of Medicine and Urology at the University of Michigan and the associate director for Clinical Research at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, explains that care should be multi- and interdisciplinary, in order to provide the best possible outcomes.

The goal of patient care should not be focused on the physician who sees the patient but rather on providing the best possible treatment, Hussain states. In general, men diagnosed with hormone-sensitive prostate cancer are seen by urologists. However, in the context of clinical trials, the monitoring of experimental treatments, logistics, and chemotherapy might be better handled by an oncologist, Hussain believes.

Ultimately, care that is provided by a team that includes an oncologist, urologist, radiologist, and other specialties is the best option. How this is balanced, should be a secondary consideration. However, a patient should not be deprived of seeing a second physician, Hussain adds.