Five Cancer Related Tests or Treatments That Should Be Questioned

commission on cancer.jpg

The Commission on Cancer (CoC) has issued a list of five cancer-related tests or treatments that should be questioned, because in cancer therapy time is extremely important, and wasting any time with pointless treatments or tests could cost a patient his or her life.

1. Surgery to remove a suspicious breast lump if needle biopsy is possible

The point here is to verify a breast cancer diagnosis through needle biopsy. Doing so lowers the number of surgeries performed, gets better cosmetic results for the patient and prevents mastectomy resulting from the patient undergoing multiple surgeries.

2. Surveillance testing after cancer treatment without a patient survivorship care plan

The CoC here is saying what many have been saying for many years: Basic surveillance testing for people who have survived cancer is pointless; a survivorship care plan, created by doctor and patient together, should be the guiding document in terms of determining when and what screening tests to have performed.

3. Surgery as frontline therapy without considering neoadjuvant radiation

The CoC believes that in several subtypes of cancer, some form of neoadjuvant treatment—presurgical chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and/or radiation leads to better patient outcomes than simply jumping into surgery, and no evidence exists that delaying surgery long enough to apply neoadjuvant therapy leads to worse outcomes or cancer spreading.

4. Major abdominal or thoracic surgery without a plan for postop pain control and pneumonia prophylaxis

Pain relief and a plan to prevent pneumonia is critical prior to undergoing major abdominal or thoracic surgery. Doing so before surgery can cut down on complications and it can cut down on how long the patient stays in the hospital.

5. Starting cancer treatment without understanding the clinical stager or the goals of therapy.

The CoC here is likely responding to a number of recent studies that demonstrate that patients aren't being told before they undergo treatment exactly what the goal of that treatment is. Many patients assume all treatments for cancer have a curative intent, and that isn't true; sometimes it's about palliative therapy. It is crucial that doctors be very clear with patients what the goal of any treatment is.

 

The information provided on CancerTreatment.net is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. This information is solely for informational purposes and does not constitute the practice of medicine. We encourage all visitors to see a licensed physician or nutritionist if they have any concerns regarding health issues related to diet, personal image and any other topics discussed on this site. Neither the owners or employees of CancerTreatment.net nor the author(s) of site content take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading this site. Always speak with your primary health care provider before engaging in any form of self treatment. Please see our Legal Statement for further information.