From radiologists to psychologists, they must work as a team for multidisciplinary management.
“Breast cancer is a disease that requires different specialists to achieve the best results in their treatment,” says Dr. Hernando Paredes, surgeon oncologist and chief physician of the Comprehensive Breast Center of Clínica Las Condes , which should start from the same moment of the Test & Diagnosis.
Teamwork is essential to achieve a good result. “When there is a suspicious lesion the radiologist expert in breast pathology, the breast specialist surgeon and the pathologist will act to achieve an accurate diagnosis of the lesion under study,” he explains.
At Clínica Las Condes, there is a committee that meets once a week to determine which patients really suspects a breast cancer and review the biopsies performed, says Dr. Paredes.
“After the diagnosis, the patient’s background is presented to a second committee to define its treatment scheme. This committee should include surgeons who specialize in breast oncology and breast reconstruction, radiotherapists, medical oncologists, breast radiologists , nurses and technologists who participate in the diagnosis and treatment of the patient, “he says.
Sometimes, other specialists are required such as gynecologists, chest surgeons and traumatologists.
Comprehensive treatment
Dr. Hernando Paredes explains that in this committee the treatment is planned, which is different for each patient. “Currently it is possible to differentiate types of breast cancer that will need different treatment schemes. Today it is defined that the treatment must be personalized, “he says.
In surgical treatment, it must be defined whether surgery is performed first or neoadjuvant chemotherapy should begin. It must also be decided whether a conservative surgery is possible or an extirpation of the breast should be carried out, which may be accompanied by an immediate breast reconstruction. “In chemotherapy, the tumor studies that will guide the most effective treatment are evaluated and in radiotherapy there are treatments that last 3 or 5 weeks, which will be defined by the radiotherapist,” he says.
In addition, it is important to consider that in many cases the support of the psychologist and the psychiatrist may be necessary from the diagnosis of the disease.
“With a multidisciplinary team, the patient will have greater treatment options with optimal results, having specialist doctors who will be able to solve the different challenges that their disease implies,” she says. Patients treated by a group of doctors who act in a coordinated manner in multidisciplinary treatments feel more confident that their treatment is the most appropriate and feel less fears in relation to their disease.