OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital has significantly reduced the time it takes for breast cancer patients to receive results from a critical genomic test, cutting the wait by an average of 11 days.
The test, which typically requires weeks of waiting, helps guide decisions about patients’ course of treatment after surgery, including whether they will require chemotherapy or radiation.
The hospital implemented a “reflex testing” process, enabling pathologists to order the Oncotype DX test immediately upon reviewing tumor specimens, rather than waiting for a follow-up oncology visit.
The move streamlines treatment planning and reduces delays during a period that physicians say is often marked by patient anxiety.
“That was just a period of time that created a lot of anxiety for that patient,” Laura Avery, MD, general surgeon and cancer liaison physician at the hospital, said in a news release. “And that was our concern. We wanted to make sure they were getting to their next step in treatment in a timely manner, whether that be radiation therapy, or getting to chemotherapy.”
Leave a Reply