(HealthDay news) – It is natural to feel a wave of anxiety after a diagnosis of Breast cancer.
But women should not let concerns about delaying treatment deter them from looking for a Second opinion On their diagnosis and treatment, researchers point out.
The patients who obtained a Second opinion after your biopsy initial They continued promptly to treatmentthe researchers reported on Friday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Mama Surgeons (American Society of Breast Surgeons), en Las Vegas.
“time, from biopsy to the first treatment, was well adjusted to the guidelines of the Cancer (COC) commission,” the researcher Dr. Pooja Varman, resident of General Surgery of the Cleveland Clinic, said in a press release.
In the study, the researchers followed 226 patients recently diagnosed with breast cancer between January and July 2024 and treated at the Cleveland Clinic.
Patients who sought a second opinion at the Cleveland Clinic began treatment after an average of 41 days, compared to the 35 days of those who began treatment at the clinic, show the results.
The average time from the first appointment with an oncological surgeon to the first treatment was 21 days, without statistical difference between those who first attended the clinic or those who went in search of a second opinion.
The guidelines of the Cancer Commission (COC) urge to start treatment within 60 days, the investigators noted.
Radiologists often recommended additional evidence for people who came in search of a second opinion, 68 percent in front of about 26 percent, show the results.
However, surgeons tended to recommend additional studies to similar rates between the two groups, 61 compared to 64 percent.
The researchers said People who came in search of a second opinion required additional images and biopsies about 90 percent of the timecompared to 68 percent for those who began treatment in the clinic.
“Breast cancer is an experience that changes life,” said Varman. “For patients, explore all treatment options and find a doctor and a clinical team with which they feel comfortable is crucial.”
He noted that patients are looking for second opinions for a “wide variety” of reasons.
“Cancer treatment is a difficult, physically and emotionally, and feeling comfortable with the chosen path is extremely important,” said Varman. “This study should reassure patients from A second opinion does not have to affect the punctuality of attention”.
The findings presented in medical meetings should be considered preliminary unless they are published in a magazine reviewed by professionals.
More information. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center offers more information on how to obtain a second opinion. Source: American Society of Mama Surgeons, Press Communication, May 1, 2025
* Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporters ©The New York Times 2025
