Why would my doctor want me to see an oncologist?

Takeaway. You will likely be referred to an oncologist if your doctor suspects that you have the disease. Your primary care physician may carry out tests to determine if you might have cancer. If there are any signs of cancer, your doctor may recommend visiting an oncologist as soon as possible.

What type of doctor helps with breast cancer?

An oncologist is a doctor who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Your oncologist will order imaging tests and other laboratory tests to rule out breast cancer or confirm a diagnosis. After a diagnosis, your oncologist stages the cancer. This will help them determine the best course of treatment.

What percentage is considered high risk for breast cancer?

High risk for breast cancer is defined as a greater than or equal to 20\% lifetime risk, or in other words, a one in five chance of developing breast cancer over a lifetime.

What does an oncologist do for breast cancer?

A medical oncologist will treat your cancer with chemotherapy, hormone therapy, targeted therapy, or immunotherapy. A radiation oncologist will treat your cancer with radiation therapy. A surgical oncologist uses surgery to remove tumors.

How urgent is breast cancer surgery?

How soon after a breast cancer diagnosis should you have surgery? Breast cancer surgery is often the first course of treatment. In some cases, your doctor may recommend chemotherapy first (called neoadjuvant chemotherapy) to help shrink larger cancer cells. Surgery should come within a few weeks of diagnosis.

What does 2 times the risk mean?

A relative risk of 2.0 means someone with the risk factor has twice the risk (or 2-fold the risk) of someone without the factor. Less than 1. (for example, 0.8) People with the risk factor have a lower risk than people without the risk factor.

What happens if you choose not to do chemo?

If you decide to stop chemotherapy, be sure you’re still getting relief from symptoms such as pain, constipation, and nausea. This is called palliative care, and it’s meant to improve your quality of life. Medications and other treatments, such as radiation, are part of palliative care.

Why do doctors treat breast cancer more aggressively?

Doctors treat earlier-stage breast cancer more aggressively because the goal is to cure it: destroy all of the cancer cells and leave none behind, reducing the risk of recurrence as much as possible. With MBC, the goal is control so that patients can live well for as long as possible. And chemotherapy isn’t necessarily the mainstay of treatment.

What does a medical oncologist do for breast cancer?

Medical oncologists have a thorough knowledge of how cancers behave and grow and how to use medication to treat them. They also figure out the chances of the breast cancer coming back, as well as the need for more treatments (such as chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, or radiation therapy ).

How often should I see a doctor after breast cancer treatment?

Doctor visits: If you have finished treatment, your follow-up doctor visits will probably be scheduled for every few months at first. The longer you have been free of cancer, the less often the appointments are needed. After 5 years, they are typically done about once a year. Mammograms: If you had breast-conserving…

Who will I work with If I have breast cancer?

From the time you are diagnosed with breast cancer, you will work with a team of cancer specialists that may include: A medical oncologist A surgical oncologist A radiation oncologist A care-manager/caseworker