Dr. Vaughan of New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell Medical Center stresses the need for patients to compile as much information they can as quickly as possible so they can make an informed, punctual decision regarding their urologic condition.

Information is power, and patients need to have the information. I encourage any patient that wants a second opinion to have a second opinion. What I tell the patient is quite simple: I say, "The most important thing is that you're comfortable with the decision you make." Now that doesn't mean you've got five years to make the decision. You have to get the amount of knowledge you feel comfortable with and then, even though it's incomplete, make the decision.