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Study Says Second Opinions Matter in Breast Cancer Pathology
The Roswell Park pathology team reviewed 500 breast core biopsy cases provided by referring institutions in a single calendar year and found that 8% of the cases had a major discordance and 13% had a minor discordance, especially with respect to interpreting biomarkers that determine prognosis and therapeutic options.
The review of pathology reports for breast cancer can have a significant impact on patient care, making a change in 20% of the cases examined, according to study results from Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI). The study, authored by Thaer Khoury, MD, and Yousef Soofi, MD, of the Department of Pathology at RPCI, was recently published in The Breast Journal.
“Surgical pathology is a dynamically changing specialty with frequently updated guidelines and classifications,” says Dr. Khoury. “This study underscores the need for a second review of the original pathologic material by a pathologist who specializes in breast cancer prior to implementation of breast cancer therapy.”
Read the news release by Roswell Park Cancer Institute: http://bit.ly/1KS8XBN
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