http://abcnews.go.com/Health/OnCallPlusTreatment/story?id=3643072&page=1
Question: Should I get a second opinion concerning my breast cancer from another doctor, and if so, when?
Answer: Second opinions are very valuable. And probably, the most important second opinion you can get is a pathologist’s second opinion. You need to take your microscopic slides and show those to another pathologist who is a breast pathologist or who looks at a great deal of breast pathology. Because you could see ten surgeons, and if all they have is the pathology report, they are all reacting to a single report. What if that report is wrong? And we have certainly seen one pathologist change the reading from another pathologist. So I think the most important second opinion might be the pathology report. Following that, you need to get second opinions from treating physicians; for example, surgeons and sometimes, medical oncologists
Question:Do I have time to get a second opinion about my treatment?
Answer: It’s important that, in considering the treatment of breast cancer, a woman recognize that breast cancers have begun six to ten years before we can detect them. They are not among the very rapidly growing tumors in the body. Consequently, there is plenty of time for consideration, for seeking additional opinions, and for reflection — before therapy begins. It’s much more important to perform the right therapy than it is to begin treatment in a hurry. In this way, a woman can be confident that when she makes a decision, she made it on the basis of the best possible information.
Question: Are there any dietary restrictions related to my treatment(s) for breast cancer?
Answer: There are no restrictions. There can be some challenges to side effects and often it may be difficult to get your needs. So versus restrictions, there may be some foods that you want to concentrate in adding. Make sure–you may have a little higher demand for calories and a little higher demand for protein for recovery and for repair and keeping your immune system, so that you’re less likely to get an infection.
<a href=”http://abcnews.go.com/Health/OnCallPlus/” onmousedown=”_hbLink(‘[Story Feature]‘,’ABC News OnCall+ Breast Cancer Home Page‘);”>
Any restrictions might be not with food itself, but perhaps with supplements. And there is some concern with taking mega-doses, or large doses, of some of the antioxidants, especially with one of the chemo treatments that has a proposed mechanism of having an oxidative process. So you would not want to take an antioxidant, or a large amount of an antioxidant, such as a high amount of vitamin C or a high amount of vitamin E. It may be that you’re not able to take in an amount — supplementation may be required — so it would need to be looked at individually. But I would have my intake looked at and analyzed before I started taking large doses during treatment, either chemo treatment or radiation treatment.
Question: Should I take any vitamins or herbs, or follow a special diet during my treatments for breast cancer?
Answer: Well, the special diet that you would want to follow would certainly include a balanced intake where you’re getting the nutrients that you need, because the treatment is certainly a stress on your body — whether it’s chemotherapy treatment, whether it’s surgery, whether it’s radiation, or a combination of all of those. These put a special requirement on your body. You may need an extra amount of protein, which will provide calories that you need in excess. You may need an extra amount of calories. If you’re picking nutrient-dense foods, then you would also be getting the extra nutrients that you would need to combat the effects of the treatment and to be able to get through the treatment, recover quickly, be able to take the doses that are required on a particular regimen. So trying to get what you need, which in itself can be a challenge, because there may be some side effects to the treatment.
<a href=”http://abcnews.go.com/Health/OnCallPlus/” onmousedown=”_hbLink(‘[Story Feature]‘,’ABC News OnCall+ Breast Cancer Home Page‘);”>
Sometimes supplements are indicated, especially if you’re not able to take in what you need–and that can be analyzed by a dietician, for example, to look at your intake, select the supplements that would be appropriate. You’d want to be careful of not self-diagnosing or medicating. Particularly, there is some controversy right now taking antioxidants, especially with some of the chemo treatments that they use for breast cancer that have a proposed mechanism of having an oxidative process. Well, if you have a treatment to kill the cancer cells that uses an oxidative process, then you don’t want to be taking large amounts of antioxidants.
Click Below for More Answers to General Treatment Questio.
