 | Question about Chemotherapy for Colorectal Cancer |
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It is best if a team approach is made for all cancers but for colorectal
cancer surgery is always the preferred first option as chemotherapy and
radiotherapy are not always (often?) effective and the less tumour load they
have to deal with the better and the sooner the surgery is performed the
better. The oncologist would certainly want a biopsy and staging anyway and
what better way to do this than during surgery. It may well be that an informal
approach was made to the oncologist at an early stage. Any other comments
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-Right after the pathologist confirms that is was Cancer, that is when the
Oncologist normally gets involved. However, you must bare in mind that they
have waiting lists and that is why to fill the gap, the regular doctor or
surgeon remains involved. My son had the benefits of oncologists from the onset of the procedures but
for adults, that is not necessarily the case. I worked with a woman who knew she had a cancerous breast tumour and had to
wait 4 months before they could do the surgery. -Surgeons *do* communicate with colleagues, and the first investigation
should be done by *some* kind of surgeon because it requires getting
inside the patient. Be assured that any surgeon knows that a tumour may
be malignant, and won't use procedures that add risk of setting off
metastases. When biopsy report showed cancer, the surgeon had the option
of telling you himself or referring you to an oncologist - which would
have dropped a pretty clear kind of hint, anyway. My personal view is
that biopsy-report time would have been the time to bring in the onc. It
probably wouldn't have made much difference to the verdict on the need
for surgery, but it's nice to feel that an appropriate specialist is in
charge.
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