# What is the difference between a second opinion and a tumor board review?

Source: https://oncologyistanbul.com/answers/second-opinion-vs-tumor-board-review
Last updated: 2026-07-12

According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), a second opinion is the opinion of a doctor other than your current doctor. That second doctor reviews your medical records and gives an opinion about your health problem and how it should be treated. The NCI notes a second opinion may confirm or question the first doctor's diagnosis and treatment plan, give more information about your condition, and offer other treatment options. A tumor board review, the NCI explains, is different: a treatment planning process in which a group of cancer doctors and other health care specialists meet regularly to review and discuss new and complex cancer cases, deciding as a group on the best treatment plan. These meetings can involve medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, surgeons, pathologists, radiologists, genetics experts, nurses, physical therapists, and social workers. In short, one is a single added expert's view; the other, a group deliberation.

## Verify at
- [NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms — Second opinion](https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/second-opinion) — National Cancer Institute (NCI) (checked 2026-07-10)
- [NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms — Tumor board review](https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/tumor-board-review) — National Cancer Institute (NCI) (checked 2026-07-10)

Related: [The free 72-hour tumor-board second opinion](https://oncologyistanbul.com/second-opinion)