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Second Opinions May Help in Fight Against Breast Cancer

Aired December 05, 2003 - 11:38   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Being diagnosed with breast cancer is tough enough. Trying to figure out what to do next is can be even harder. Now there's a new study suggesting getting a second opinion could help with those. Our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here details in our "Daily Dose" of health news. Could be overwhelming for a lot of women in deciding what to do next.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, absolutely, there's so many different treatment options out there. And we have all heard get a second opinion when you have a serious medical problem.

Well because are there so many different options out there that's especially true with breast cancer. Researchers were interested in knowing, when you go to a doctor do they always get it right? Especially, do they always read the mammograms right?

So researchers at the University of Michigan decided to look at 148 women who'd been diagnosed with breast cancer. What they found when they took a second look at those mammograms is the original doctors had missed ten tumors. That's very important, because when you have not just one tumor, but two, you're going to make different treatment decisions or you might make different treatment decisions.

And in fact of those 148 patients after the second opinion, 38 decided to change treatment.

Let me give you an example. For example, if a woman is told by her original doctor she only has one lump, she might decide to go ahead and have a lumpectomy. But if it is found she has two lumps, it is found she may get a mastectomy.

KAGAN: So it's those kinds of differences? So you decide to get a second opinion. How do you know where to go?

COHEN: That's very tricky because people will tell you different things. But experts who we talked to said if you didn't go to a big academic center to get your first one, go there to get your second one.

Those big centers, just see a higher volume of people. They see mammogram after mammogram. They do surgery after surgery. And just that high volume gives them a certain level of expertise.

Now, it's important to note that sometimes the second opinion won't necessarily find anything different. In other words, maybe the original doctor did find looking at the mammogram, but as you know, you've dealt with this issue before, they might say, we found the same thing, but we decided we think this course of treatment might be better.

It doesn't necessarily mean the second one is better, it just gives you another set of options.

KAGAN: As we know, women who have had breast cancer, there's not just one clear-cut thing that do you for treatment. There are a lot of choices. And as you said, it can be overwhelming. Information is power.

COHEN: Information is power. So get that information from more than one source so you can make an informative decision.

KAGAN: Very good. Elizabeth, thank you for that.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired December 5, 2003 - 11:38`   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Being diagnosed with breast cancer is tough enough. Trying to figure out what to do next is can be even harder. Now there's a new study suggesting getting a second opinion could help with those. Our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here details in our "Daily Dose" of health news. Could be overwhelming for a lot of women in deciding what to do next.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, absolutely, there's so many different treatment options out there. And we have all heard get a second opinion when you have a serious medical problem.

Well because are there so many different options out there that's especially true with breast cancer. Researchers were interested in knowing, when you go to a doctor do they always get it right? Especially, do they always read the mammograms right?

So researchers at the University of Michigan decided to look at 148 women who'd been diagnosed with breast cancer. What they found when they took a second look at those mammograms is the original doctors had missed ten tumors. That's very important, because when you have not just one tumor, but two, you're going to make different treatment decisions or you might make different treatment decisions.

And in fact of those 148 patients after the second opinion, 38 decided to change treatment.

Let me give you an example. For example, if a woman is told by her original doctor she only has one lump, she might decide to go ahead and have a lumpectomy. But if it is found she has two lumps, it is found she may get a mastectomy.

KAGAN: So it's those kinds of differences? So you decide to get a second opinion. How do you know where to go?

COHEN: That's very tricky because people will tell you different things. But experts who we talked to said if you didn't go to a big academic center to get your first one, go there to get your second one.

Those big centers, just see a higher volume of people. They see mammogram after mammogram. They do surgery after surgery. And just that high volume gives them a certain level of expertise.

Now, it's important to note that sometimes the second opinion won't necessarily find anything different. In other words, maybe the original doctor did find looking at the mammogram, but as you know, you've dealt with this issue before, they might say, we found the same thing, but we decided we think this course of treatment might be better.

It doesn't necessarily mean the second one is better, it just gives you another set of options.

KAGAN: As we know, women who have had breast cancer, there's not just one clear-cut thing that do you for treatment. There are a lot of choices. And as you said, it can be overwhelming. Information is power.

COHEN: Information is power. So get that information from more than one source so you can make an informative decision.

KAGAN: Very good. Elizabeth, thank you for that.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com