+- Community Message Board (https://doctorabroad.ca/forum)
+-- Forum: Community Message Board (https://doctorabroad.ca/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=1)
+--- Forum: Find a Doctor Abroad here (https://doctorabroad.ca/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=2)
+--- Thread: Dr Roberto Pestana- Oncologist - Sao Paulo (/showthread.php?tid=8)
Dr Roberto Pestana- Oncologist - Sao Paulo - StomaSteve - 01-14-2025
Dr Roberto Pestana
Oncologist Sao Paulo Brazil
https://www.instagram.com/drrobertopestana/?hl=en
Diagnosed with GIST cancer in Sept 2020. Recommended to take oral chemo and shrink the cancer down as much as possible, then remove it.
My case was not normal, as the cancer was so close to the rectum, the only operation would be a permanent colostomy. Not ideal outcome for a Mid 30s male who was just about to be a father.
Option 1 - keep the cancer, stay on the drugs without knowing an endpoint. If the cancer spreads, it could spread fast.
Option 2 - remove the cancer, live with a colostomy for the rest of my life, and stay on the medication to prevent it from coming back with ~70% success rate at keeping it away 15+ years.
Not an easy choice, and the Doctors in Canada were salivating at doing the operation as this type of surgery is rare and all surgeons want that notch on their belt.
An old gambling buddy of mine suggested I look outside of the Canadian medical system to get at least a second opinion. With a little help from someone who spoke portugese, I was able to get a video call with Dr Pestana in just under a month. Once i got him my scans, the call was set up. He spoke english, and gave me an honest opinion on the recommendations of my Canadian team. I had some of the best oncologists across Canada working on my case, but a close person friend who's also a medical MD said sometimes methodologies within systems can be echo chamblers, so its good to hear how other places would approach this complicated situations. While the recommendations were the same, the second opinion was the last check i needed to feel confident in my choice to pick surgery.
Dr Pestana even wanted me to follow up with him after my surgery and make sure there were no other questions i may have had.
#ishitinabag