(Snippets from the frontline)
Doctor statistics
She was diagnosed with breast cancer, and statistically the chance of survival was good. It meant involvement of medical professionals to help beat the odds through a worthy treatment plan.
My practice is in a suburban area, but we have access to the latest technology and evidence-based care through multiple superb academic institutes. Complicating her problem though was an underlying neurologic disease known as myasthenia gravis, stabilized with weekly medication infusions.
Success in her cancer treatment was reliant on the initial surgery, radiation, then data-driven chemotherapy. The evolving plan started with the primary care physician, then referral to oncologist, surgeon, and radiation doctor.
In a frantic phone call, she said she had just visited an oncologic surgical specialist who would not operate on her. Why? The surgeon felt she would “die on the table, and you would ruin my statistics because of your neurologic condition.”
Quickly, she was referred to a different institute, surgery completed, eventually leading to a cure.
Patients in any treatment plan take risks. Too bad these days, some doctors are bound by their own statistics.
Gene Uzawa Dorio, M.D.
Leave a Comment