So my dad was diagnosed in Stage III and I've been looking at different centers - Mayo, a couple others in the Midwest. I'm trying to figure out what actually matters when you're comparing them and not just going with whoever your oncologist refers you to.
I made a spreadsheet (of course I did, I'm an accountant) and I'm tracking things like survival rates, how many mesothelioma cases they do per year, what their treatment protocols are. But I'm realizing I don't really know what numbers I should be looking for or what questions to ask that will actually tell me if one place is better than another.
Like how do you know if their 5-year survival rates are actually good or if they're just selecting easier cases? And does it matter if they're a big cancer center vs a specialized mesothelioma clinic?
Also trying to figure out if there are cost differences between centers and if that affects insurance approval timelines. I need to know roughly how long decisions take because we're trying to get him started on treatment asap.
Has anyone else done this comparison? What did you end up prioritizing and did it make a difference?