Day 3

Hi, Have you asked why you see the oncologist before surgery, and why the delay? I did not see my oncologist until after surgery.

If you are going through the public system, it may have to do with the team you are under, where they have a consultant  surgeon who works with a group of  intern-surgeons who are under his /her guidance.

It could be because the surgeon is away until then, or is very heavily booked.. You can generally talk to the breast care nurse at the hospital where you are going to have your treatment, and ask her why you have to wait so long. If it is for some reason like that, you may want to go private so you can see a very experienced surgeon sooner.

It could also be because they want to offer you neoadjuvant chemo or targetted treatment. One thing nobody told me until I saw my surgeon was that they now often like to do chemo before surgery if possible. This means they can actually watch your tumor as the chemo hits it,, and make sure the treatment is working. If they do chemo after surgery, and after all visible trace of your cancer is gone, they have no way of seeing if it is affecting it or not. This can make the lump smaller before surgery, or even completely vanish it so there is virtually nothing left to remove.

So they may be wanting to see if you would be a good candidate for this sort of treatment, which they call neoadjuvant treatment. Chemo given after surgery is called adjuvant treatment.. Some of the best chemo treatments are only available as neoadjvant treatment.

They also often have drug trials of a chemo combination that has been found very effective plus a new drug they know is safe but needs to be tested to show if it adds to the effectiveness. If you are being treated as part of a drug trial, you get free treatment that might cost for other people, and you may get better monitoring for free as well. I was asked if I would like to be part of a neoadjuvant trial, and after my surgery I  found out that the drug combination I would have had is now the new best standard of treatment, and I  wished I had found out more about it.

So maybe the wait is so they can give you some better new neo adjuvant treatment. If they do offer this, ask why they are recommending this as the best treatment for you. It may be a really good deal.

Hi lynelle I had 5 weeks between diagnosis and surgery. During that time I had to have a mammogram and ultrasound, then 3 more needle biopsies, bone scans etc, etc. my surgeon said that although the cancer was an aggressive form, that waiting for that time wouldn't make much difference and that it was more important to have the other tests so they knew what they were dealing with. Like you I just wanted it out but I figured that they knew what they were doing. I went through the public health system and my care has been second to none and I have not had to wait if they have felt I needed attention sooner rather than later. I hope this helps alleviate your fears. Good luck with it all. Karen xox