Intro
A Breast Cancer Diagnosis
We know that selecting a doctor to treat your breast cancer may be one of the most important decisions you will ever make. Your primary care physician may refer you to one or more specialists. These specialists include a breast surgical oncologist, medical oncologist, radiation oncologist and sometimes a plastic surgeon. It is usually the surgeon who the patient needs to see first.
Well-Coordinated and Comprehensive Approach
For each breast cancer patient, Drs. Dultz, Crivello and Newman work closely with the patient’s primary doctor to help chose the appropriate team of physicians who will care for you. This well-coordinated team is hand selected to ensure that all of your doctors are working together to help you obtain the most appropriate treatment plan and the best possible clinical outcome. Their staff plus a certified nurse navigator who specializes in breast cancer care is there to help you coordinate appointments with the other specialists, schedule surgery or other imaging tests that may need to be completed after the diagnosis of breast cancer is known.
What makes Drs. Dultz, Crivello and Newman A “Specialist”?
Drs. Dultz, Crivello and Newman are board-certified general surgeons who then completed an additional Fellowship in Breast Surgical Oncology. They are highly trained surgical specialists in the field of Breast Cancer Surgery. “Specialists” are doctors who have completed their residency training in a specific area of medicine. After finishing the education and training needed for their specialty, they must pass an examination given by the specialty board. Doctors who meet all of the requirements for their specialty and pass the national board exams are given the status of “diplomate.” They are now board-certified specialists in their fields. A specialist can become a subspecialist as well. To do this, the doctor must take at least one additional year of full-time education in a particular area of a specialty, or be selected to complete a fellowship.
Benefits of a High Volume Surgeon
Recent studies confirm that patients of breast surgeons who do a high volume of breast cancer surgeries have a higher rate of survival than patients of lower-volume breast surgeons. Patients should seek out a breast surgeon as soon as there is a breast problem. A high volume breast surgeon ensures that the correct path is initiated from the beginning. Dr. Dultz and her practice, follow national standards for the diagnosis and surgical treatment of breast cancer.
Who will help me “navigate” through all of these doctors and my treatment?
A registered nurse who is also certified as a Breast Health Navigator. As a navigator, she helps you understand all the different steps, accurately present your entire history and navigate through all the doctors, tests and procedures. She helps make sure all of the aspects of your treatment are covered and that all of the doctors are working in sync.