Page 17 - Demo book
P. 17
The Wrong Diagnosis
The husband of a 54 year old woman contacted PinnacleCare when his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. The recommendation was for a bilateral mastectomy followed by radiation. The mastectomy was scheduled for the following week. PinnacleCare set-up a second opinion appointment with a top breast cancer specialist who had his pathology team carefully re-read the suspicious slides.
The team came back with a diagnosis of atypical ductal hyperplasia, an abnormal cell growth that puts women at higher risk for breast cancer but is not cancerous itself. The bilateral mastectomy was cancelled and instead she had an outpatient lumpectomy to remove all suspicious tissue and make a final and determinative pathology diagnosis. Not only did she avoid unnecessary surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, but she also avoided the cost of cancer surveillance for a lifetime. Both husband and wife were able to refocus on their executive careers.
