Oncology member story: Barbara

Transcription

1 Oncology member story: Barbara The results from an initial mammogram concerned doctors enough that Barbara* was scheduled for a follow-up appointment for further investigation. A few months later, a sonogram detected a tumor and a biopsy confirmed that it was cancerous. Barbara was diagnosed with stage 1A breast cancer, which doctors consider to be an early stage of the disease. The tumor was very small, about the size of a pea, according to Barbara. Doctors performed surgery to remove it, and then checked Barbara s lymph nodes to see if the cancer had spread they determined that it had not. Best Doctors said they did not think chemo was necessary because of the size of the tumor, the stage it was at, and the fact it hadn t spread, she said, adding that the Best Doctors specialist agreed with the treatment recommendation for radiation. Barbara went ahead with the radiation, undergoing about 20 sessions total in which doctors treated the entire breast where the tumor had been removed. Barbara s oncologist also recommended hormone therapy, but she decided not to go ahead with it due to the side effects. The nurses who responded were fantastic, and so was the doctor who interviewed me. Best Doctors was fantastic. Barbara said the surgery went well and she didn t experience any complications. She was then referred to a medical oncologist, who recommended that she undergo radiation, as recommended by her surgeon, as well as chemotherapy. I felt the chemo was extreme due to the size and stage of the cancer, said Barbara, who decided to contact Best Doctors for an expert medical review. She has access to the benefit through her employer. Barbara said that not only did she find Best Doctors helpful, they were also quick to get back to her. It was time sensitive and they only had a week or two to get the information, and they got right on it, she said. They got everything done in a very timely manner. Barbara said doctors are now monitoring her she ll be following up with her medical oncologist and primary physician in a few months, and is scheduled to undergo a sonogram and mammogram in one year. Barbara said she would recommend Best Doctors to others, and praised the professionals who handled her case. The nurses who responded were fantastic, and so was the doctor who interviewed me everyone seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say, she said. Best Doctors was fantastic.

2 Best Doctors is an expert medical opinion service. Our world-renowned doctors can review an existing condition and treatment so you can make the best possible choices for your health. We can confirm or recommend a change in your diagnosis or treatment for conditions like back and joint pain, cancer, chronic disorders, and much more. An informed medical opinion can help you: Feel confident in your diagnosis Verify correct treatment and prescription Avoid unnecessary surgery and costs Get the peace of mind you deserve Use Best Doctors when you: Are unsure about a diagnosis or need help deciding on a treatment option Have medical questions or concerns and want a leading expert s advice Need help finding a local expert who specializes in your condition Have been admitted into the hospital and want expert intervention in your care about 1 in 8 U.S. women will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime 1 Don t panic if you feel a lump 8 out of 10 lumps are not cancerous members.bestdoctors.com *Name changed upon request. This is a real Best Doctors case. Where necessary, personal details have been modified and photographs have been used for illustrative purposes in order to respect and maintain patient privacy. Best Doctors services are being provided solely for the purpose of providing medical information for use in the treatment provided by your treating doctor(s). The outcome of this case does not represent or guarantee that anyone will obtain a similar result, as the case will vary depending, among other circumstances, on the information provided to Best Doctors. It s prohibited to copy, use, or publish the content or parts of the content of this case story without the express permission of Best Doctors. Best Doctors is now part of Teladoc Health, the global leader in virtual care Best Doctors and the star-in-cross logo are trademarks of Best Doctors, Inc., in the United States and in other countries, and are used under license _ _US CANCER

3 Oncology member story: Mary Mary* had a CT scan before undergoing surgery to remove her thyroid, and the results revealed a lesion on her right lung that turned out to be a cancerous tumor. Further testing, including a biopsy, confirmed the presence of adenocarcinoma, a type of cancer that starts in the mucous glands inside organs like the lungs. Mary underwent a resection of her right lung to remove the tumor. The pathology results were consistent with a diagnosis of stage 1 lung cancer, and there was no evidence that the cancer had spread to the lymph nodes. Mary s surgeon recommended that she undergo surveillance scans every six months and did not feel she required any further treatment. Best Doctors confirmed these findings by reviewing Mary s pathology samples. The Best Doctors expert also agreed with the surgeon s recommendation of surveillance scans to monitor for any signs of recurrence, and agreed that no additional therapy was needed. He explained that there is no good evidence that chemotherapy for stage 1 lung cancer helps reduce the risk of recurrence and that there is a 90 percent chance there will be no recurrence of the cancer, even by doing nothing further. The team was professional, easy to understand, and updated me on a regular basis. Seeking reassurance on this recommendation, as well as a second medical opinion about the further evaluation and management of her condition, Mary reached out to Best Doctors, which she had access to through her insurer. Best Doctors gathered Mary s information and her case was reviewed by a Best Doctors oncologist, who agreed with the diagnosis of stage 1 lung cancer. The Best Doctors expert explained that the fact the cancer had not spread to the lymph nodes reaffirmed there was a low risk of recurrence. The Best Doctors expert recommended follow-up CT scans of the chest and abdomen every three months for the next two years, scaled back to every six months for the following two years, and then further scaled back to yearly CT scans thereafter. The member shared the Best Doctors report with her treating doctor, who decided to stick to his plan of follow-up CT scans every six months (as opposed to every three months). The member said the Best Doctors report provided her with peace of mind because the expert confirmed her diagnosis and treatment plan. The team was professional, easy to understand, and updated me on a regular basis, Mary said. The results were a confirmation of my next steps.

4 Best Doctors is an expert medical opinion service. Our world-renowned doctors can review an existing condition and treatment so you can make the best possible choices for your health. We can confirm or recommend a change in your diagnosis or treatment for conditions like back and joint pain, cancer, chronic disorders, and much more. An informed medical opinion can help you: Feel confident in your diagnosis Verify correct treatment and prescription Avoid unnecessary surgery and costs Get the peace of mind you deserve Use Best Doctors when you: Are unsure about a diagnosis or need help deciding on a treatment option Have medical questions or concerns and want a leading expert s advice Need help finding a local expert who specializes in your condition Have been admitted into the hospital and want expert intervention in your care About 234,030 88% new cases of lung cancer in of the patients who get a the U.S. in second opinion learn that their diagnosis needed to change ** ** For all specialties, not just cancer members.bestdoctors.com *Name changed upon request. This is a real Best Doctors case. Where necessary, personal details have been modified and photographs have been used for illustrative purposes in order to respect and maintain patient privacy. Best Doctors services are being provided solely for the purpose of providing medical information for use in the treatment provided by your treating doctor(s). The outcome of this case does not represent or guarantee that anyone will obtain a similar result, as the case will vary depending, among other circumstances, on the information provided to Best Doctors. It s prohibited to copy, use, or publish the content or parts of the content of this case story without the express permission of Best Doctors. Best Doctors is now part of Teladoc Health, the global leader in virtual care Best Doctors and the star-in-cross logo are trademarks of Best Doctors, Inc., in the United States and in other countries, and are used under license _ _US_Cancer

5 Oncology member story: Stephen After being diagnosed with prostate cancer, Stephen didn t get the guidance he needed from his doctors on how to proceed. Stephen first learned his PSA (prostate-specific antigen) levels had spiked after he underwent a blood test for another medical issue. He then had a biopsy done on his prostate, and the results confirmed he had prostate cancer. Doctors told Stephen that his cancer wasn t aggressive and was slow-growing. He was given the option of either having surgery or undergoing radiation treatment, but wasn t given any direction on which option would be better for him. They told me to decide which one would work for me, and I had no clue, said Stephen, who works for Boeing. Any information I got I had to look up myself online, and that was only getting me more confused. Weeks passed and Stephen wasn t getting any answers. The radiation oncologist and the urologist couldn t agree on anything, he said. Stephen s wife found information about Best Doctors when searching through his employer benefits. After reaching out, Stephen was contacted by a Best Doctors Member Advocate. He explained that he was unsure what would be the best course of action to treat his cancer. I felt that I actually had someone on my side with that first phone call from Best Doctors. Best Doctors collected his medical records, re-did his pathology, and discovered that his biopsy results had been read incorrectly by Stephen s urologist. I didn t have a non-aggressive, low-grade cancer it was a highly aggressive, high-risk cancer, said Stephen. This shocked the living hell out of me I didn t know what to think. Best Doctors advised against surgery, explaining that it would do more harm than good in Stephen s case; according to Stephen, he probably would have ended up with a colostomy bag had he gone ahead with surgery. Best Doctors provided Stephen with two treatment recommendations: external beam radiation therapy or external beam radiation with brachytherapy, which would involve injecting Stephen s prostate with radioactive pellets to destroy the cancer from the inside, along with external beams delivered on the outside. Stephen opted to proceed with external beam radiation therapy combined with hormone therapy. He also switched hospitals. Stephen has started treatment and said everything has been moving along well. He credited Best Doctors with guiding him on the right path. I felt that I actually had someone on my side with that first phone call from Best Doctors, said Stephen. When I talked to them on the phone, I felt relieved I felt like I had someone who was going to help me to find the answers, to point me in the right direction in which I need to go, and they did that.

6 Best Doctors is an expert medical opinion service. Our world-renowned doctors can review an existing condition and treatment so you can make the best possible choices for your health. We can confirm or recommend a change in your diagnosis or treatment for conditions like back and joint pain, cancer, chronic disorders, and much more. An informed medical opinion can help you: Feel confident in your diagnosis Verify correct treatment and prescription Avoid unnecessary surgery and costs Get the peace of mind you deserve Use Best Doctors when you: Are unsure about a diagnosis or need help deciding on a treatment option Have medical questions or concerns and want a leading expert s advice Need help finding a local expert who specializes in your condition Have been admitted into the hospital and want expert intervention in your care 1 in 14 men between the ages of 60 and 69 will get prostate cancer 1 Foods that may reduce the risk of prostate cancer: Tomatoes Fish Soy Broccoli Brussels sprouts Kale Olive oil members.bestdoctors.com *Name changed upon request. This is a real Best Doctors case. Where necessary, personal details have been modified and photographs have been used for illustrative purposes in order to respect and maintain patient privacy. Best Doctors services are being provided solely for the purpose of providing medical information for use in the treatment provided by your treating doctor(s). The outcome of this case does not represent or guarantee that anyone will obtain a similar result, as the case will vary depending, among other circumstances, on the information provided to Best Doctors. It s prohibited to copy, use, or publish the content or parts of the content of this case story without the express permission of Best Doctors. Best Doctors is now part of Teladoc Health, the global leader in virtual care Best Doctors and the star-in-cross logo are trademarks of Best Doctors, Inc., in the United States and in other countries, and are used under license _ _US CANCER