Thankyou @Keeping_positive1 for bringing up this important topic.
It would must be incredibly challenging and create anxiety for many members experiencing delays in treatment or surgery. While each person's situation is different and we know a number of factors influences timeframes, you are always encouraged to bring up these delay concerns with your treating teams and ask them the reasons (Reference the
Optimal
Care Pathway for people with breast cancer in your discussion). It’s important to note that the optimal care pathways are cancer pathways, not clinical practice
guidelines. The decision about ‘what’ treatment is given is a professional responsibility and will
usually be based on current evidence, clinical practice guidelines and the patients’ preferences.
Members can also refer to the
Breast Cancer:
Your Guide to best cancer care.
This shorter guide for patients provides optimal timeframes within which tests or procedures should be completed, prompt lists to support patients to understand what might happen at each step of their cancer journey and to consider what questions to ask, and provide information to help patients and carers communicate with health professionals.
Regardless of the timeframes you are experiencing or where you are in your breast cancer journey, we encourage you to call our member support team 1800500258 to discuss support options that may assist you.
(Added note: If you have experienced delays greater than 30days for commencement of treatment or surgery as a category 1 patient, BCNA would like to hear from you contact@bcna.org.au)
